A New Family
by Illa Yasmar
Summary: Joey Ryan has been working with the BAU for eight months, and has loved every minute of it. But behind closed doors, her team doesn't realize that their Section Chief (OC) has been blackmailing Joey to do his dirty work, and he's starting to get dangerous. As the situation reaches a tipping point, will the BAU team be able to help Joey before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome to my very first Criminal Minds fanfiction. Thank you for choosing it to read out of the hundreds of other amazing stories. A few side notes before we begin: For all you David Rossi diehards, I'm terribly sorry but he is not included in this story. I'm writing with an OC and I felt that there were already so many characters to juggle, that I didn't think I would be able to include Rossi and give him the attention he deserves. Also, the Section Chief in this story is also an OC (risky move, I know) because I didn't want to villianize any of the characters already created by the amazing writers of CM. Which brings me to say that I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ANY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS DESCRIBED. Reviews, like tips, are always appreciated but never expected. Thanks again for reading, and I sincerely hope you enjoy!

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Joey sighed as the elevator doors pinged open. She waited for the rest of the team to file out before following them into the bullpen. Everyone was quiet. It had been a hard case of a child abduction followed by a long flight back from San Diego.

"Alright everyone, go home and get some rest." Agent Hotchner said as he ascended to his office. "You've earned it."

Joey watched as Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ all dropped paperwork off at their desks and headed back toward the elevator. "Goodnight Ryan." Reid gave a little wave as he shouldered his bag. Joey gave a slight wave and a smile in return. As Reid pushed his way out of the bullpen, Joey dropped herself into her chair.

She let out another sigh and held her head in her hands. Eight months into working with the BAU and Joey was still unsure of her position. The team had been warm and welcoming from Garcia's bone-crushing bear hugs to Morgan's witty quips, but still Joey doubted if she was right for the job.

Running a hand through her unwashed hair, Joey glanced down to find a plain envelope sitting on her desk atop her pile of paperwork. It read " _Agent Josephine Ryan_ " in typed lettering. Joey felt her heart sink as she closed her eyes bracingly and unsealed it. Inside was a single piece of paper simply read " _As soon as you return_ " in the same typed lettering that was on the envelope.

Joey gazed at the paper for a moment, steeling herself. She briefly glanced up to see Hotchner at his desk, leaning over a stack of papers. Neatly returning the paper to its envelope, Joey stood and crossed the bullpen to the paper-shredder. She quickly dropped the envelope through the shredder and pushed her way out, shouldering her bag as she did.

Joey patiently waited for the elevator doors to open two floors up from the bullpen. She stepped out to find a deserted hallway. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, Joey strode down the empty corridor, twisting and turning until she found herself outside a door that read "Aidan Pearce." She paused momentarily before softly knocking on the door.

"Come in." A voice answered from inside.

Joey gently pushed the door open. She stepped in and quietly shut the door before turning to face the handsome mahogany desk that sat in the middle of the room. "Chief Pearce." She nodded once, looking down at her shoes.

"Ah, Josephine, I see you got my note." A well-aged man with graying hair smiled warmly up at her. "Please," Pearce gestured to an empty seat in front of his desk. "Won't you sit."

Joey hesitated before moving to take a seat, her eyes not leaving the patterned rug.

"Just give me a moment to finish this and then we can chat." Pearce nodded before leaning over his paperwork. As they sat in silence, Joey sat with her hands in her lap, subconsciously scratching at her thumb.

Pearce finally signed the bottom of the paper with a flourish and dramatically set his pen down. "Now, down to business." He folded his hands on the desk. "I need you to run a job tonight."

Joey closed her eyes. She had been afraid of this. "Please." She said quietly. "We just got back from San Diego and it's been a long couple of days-."

"Need I remind you," Pearce cut her off "who is in charge?" Though his smile never wavered, his tone had suddenly turned icy.

"No." Joey muttered hastily. "Of course not."

"Good." Pearce's smile widened and he leaned back in his chair, his folded hands resting just above his belt. "Pick up is at one, so that gives you about forty five minutes to get ready if you need to."

"Where will I be taking them?" Joey asked her shoes.

"They'll have all the information for you when you pick them up." Pearce regarded her for a moment before standing and stretching. He slowly paced around until he stood behind Joey, who stiffened instinctively. "You know, Josephine." Pearce placed a hand on her left shoulder. "I'm so glad you joined the BAU. You've been such an… asset." Pearce's hand slowly slid down Joey's back.

Joey clenched her jaw and made to move away from him. Pearce's other hand clamped down on Joey's right shoulder. "Ah, ah, ah." Pearce said in a sing-song voice. He moved so he was standing directly in front of Joey, his belt inches from her face. He reached down for her chest, his clammy fingers brushing her skin as he fingered the necklace she was wearing.

"What a lovely necklace." He said softly. "Did your father get it for you?" When Joey didn't reply, he smirked. "You know, I could have sworn I saw your father the other day." He let the necklace fall. "In a neighborhood that's known to be home to some suspected terrorists. Certainly a few of the residents are on watch lists."

Joey felt her heart drop. "Please." She whispered as she sat frozen to the chair. "You don't have to do that."

"No, I don't." Pearce leaned down so his face was level with Joey's. She could see the salt-and-pepper stubble forming on his jaw. "Because you're a good agent who does what she's told." He stood back up and moved to return to his desk. "You now have forty minutes until pick up. Don't be late."

Joey stood, clutching her bag to her. She moved to the door and as she turned the knob, Pearce spoke out again. "I heard you were able to return the child safely and catch the culprit." Joey turned to him. "In San Diego." He continued through a pearly smile.

"Yes, that's right." Joey replied.

"I'm glad to hear it was a success." Pearce sat down again and folded his hands over his stomach. "Keep up the good work, agent."

Joey nodded once before exiting Pearce's office. She sped-walked back to the elevator and pummeled the 'down' button. Her heart was pounding in her throat and she clenched her shaking hands into fists at her sides. Taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, Joey stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the parking garage.

Joey was so caught up with her thoughts that she hardly noticed the doors opening two floors down until Garcia's cheerful voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Hi Joey!" She chirped. Joey gave a slightly-breathless smile in return. "You're here awfully late, aren't you? Everyone else has gone home, well except Hotch, but I think he lives here." Garcia whispered the last part like it was a secret to be kept.

Joey smiled. "I just had some extra paperwork I wanted to get done tonight rather than deal with it later."

"Are you alright?" Garcia asked, leaning in slightly to get a closer look at Joey. "You seem a bit pale."

"Yah, yah." Joey chuckled. "Just uh…travel weary I suppose." She nervously adjusted the straps of her bag on her shoulder. "I don't sleep very well on planes so it was a long flight back. Plus sleeping in a different city in a different time zone isn't always easy to adjust to for just a few days."

Garcia smiled warmly and patted her on the arm. "Well, now you get to go sleep in your own bed!"

The elevator doors dinged open and the two women stepped out. As they split off to head toward their cars, Garcia waved. "Have a good night, Joey, and sleep well!"

"Thanks, Garcia. You, too." Joey waved her away and pulled her keys out of her pocket as she made her way to where she had parked several days ago. She unlocked it and heavily sat down in the drivers seat, tossing her bag behind her. She grabbed the steering wheel and rested her forehead on her knuckles for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she sat up, adjusted her mirror, and started the car. She now had half an hour to get to Pearce's designated pick-up location, and knowing the consequences of being late, she didn't have any time to lose.


	2. Chapter 2

Joey drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and checked her phone for the twelfth time in five minutes. She had been on time to the pick-up location, but Pearce's men certainly were not.

She had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes and was about to leave when she heard a car door slam somewhere not far off. Joey's phone buzzed and she glanced down to see she had a new text from Pearce: _what's the hold up?_ Suddenly, the passenger and two back doors opened and three men got in her car. All of them were dressed in black and all were wearing masks.

"You're late." Joey said.

The man in the passenger's seat looked at her briefly. Then at lightning speed, he reached out and grabbed Joey's wrist. She grunted as his iron grip closed. She felt a few blood vessels pop. "You work around our schedule. Not the other way around." He shoved Joey's arm back toward her.

She took a breath and grabbed the wheel with both hands. "Where to?"

"The building is at 300 south Main." The man in the passenger's seat responded. He checked how many clips he had for his handgun. Joey watched him through the corner of her eye. "But there's an alley behind it that you'll pull into. Wait for us there. It won't take more than 15 minutes."

"Ay ay, Captain." Joey muttered to herself as she started the car and drove away.

The twenty minutes it took to reach the location passed in almost complete silence. At one point, the two men in the back seat briefly exchanged a few words in what Joey thought was Czech, but they, too, fell silent after a few minutes.

When Joey finally pulled into the poorly-lit alley behind 300 South Main, it had started to sprinkle. The two men in the back exited the car without a word, one hoisting a heavy duffle bag with him. The man in the passenger's seat opened his door.

"Leave the car running." He slammed the door and followed his companions into the back of a large brick building. Joey turned the car's lights off.

She leaned her head back in her seat and rubbed her wrist tenderly. She then unlocked her phone to reply to Pearce's earlier text. _Slight hold up. Everything's fine._ A car drove past on the main road behind her, and Joey glanced in her rear-view mirror warily.

It began raining in earnest and Joey closed her eyes, allowing the soothing sound of rain hitting the pavement wash over her.

There was something about the early hours of the morning that made time slow down, and what felt like hours later, the three masked men returned to Joey's car. When all the doors had shut, Joey turned the car's lights and wipers on and carefully backed out of the alley.

"Drop us off at the park." The man in the passenger's seat demanded.

Joey carefully maneuvered the slick streets until she reached the usual drop-off spot of a small park a couple blocks from the downtown area. When the car pulled up to the curb away from any street lamps, the three men got out of the car and slammed the doors shut without looking back.

"You're welcome." Joey said quietly to her empty car. She turned and watched the men get consumed by the dark night before shifting her car back into drive and heading home.

Once at her building, Joey wearily climbed the three floors to her apartment. As she unlocked her door, her neighbor across the hall cracked the door open.

"Joey?"

Joey turned to find the warm face of an elderly women blinking out at her. "Hi Mrs. Callister. Sorry if I woke you. I just got home."

"A bit late, isn't it?" Mrs. Callister inquired with a smile.

Joey grinned. "Oh well you know, justice doesn't have a punch card. We come when it calls."

Mrs. Callister chuckled softly. "I'm glad you made it back okay. Have a good night sweetie."

"You, too, Mrs. Callister." Joey replied as her neighbor quietly closed her door.

Joey pushed her way into her apartment and softly shut and locked the door behind her. She dropped her bag at her feet. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Her legs felt like lead as she made her way to the kitchen to grab a piece of leftover pizza from the fridge. Not bothering to heat it up, Joey headed to her bedroom, wondering if she would be able to stay awake long enough to take a much-needed shower.

Deciding against it, Joey pulled off her shoes and opened her drawer to get more comfortable clothes out. Her phone buzzed and Joey read the message from Pearce. _Nice work tonight, agent._ Joey groaned as her eyes flickered to her alarm clock. It was past three in the morning.

As she brushed her teeth, Joey checked her wrist. There was already slight purpling where Pearce's man had grabbed her. She felt a wave of fury and spat angrily into the sink. She made her way back to her bed. _How dare Pearce use her like that? How dare he manipulate her into doing his dirty work?_

As Joey leaned over to turn off her lamp, she caught sight of the framed picture of her and her father that sat next to her alarm clock. Her anger instantly subsided and Joey was filled with love mingled with concern.

With a final sight, Joey switched her lamp off and fell back onto her pillows, letting sleep overtake her.


	3. Chapter 3

A loud buzzing jolted Joey out of her sleep. She rolled her head to see her phone lit up on her nightstand. Joey cringed and closed her eyes again. Maybe if she just ignored it, it would go away…

But it persisted. Joey grabbed her phone and glowered down at the new text from Garcia. _Good morning sunshines. Back to work today!_

She glared at the clock. It was just past six thirty. Joey rubbed her eyes, giving herself a mental pep talk to get out of bed. It was going to be a long day.

After Joey had quickly showered and made sure her go bag was packed, she hurried out of her apartment. She was running late. Taking speed limits as a suggestion, she made it to the office by 7:15.

Inside the bullpen, Joey dropped her bag off at her desk and headed straight for the break room to get coffee. _Three hours of sleep._ She mentally counted. She sighed as she added cream and sugar.

Inside the conference room, Joey took her seat between Morgan and Reid. She was grateful to see that she wasn't the last, as they were still waiting on Hotch.

"Woah." JJ said as she glanced up from across the table. "You alright, Joey? You look a bit…zombie-like."

Joey grinned into her coffee. "Oh yah, just some noisy neighbors that make it hard to sleep. Plus I'm a night owl anyway, so early mornings take their toll."

"I thought you said you were a morning bird last week?" Morgan asked.

"It varies. Sometimes one, sometimes the other." Joey took a sip. "Sometimes both."

"But then you never get to sleep." Reid pointed out.

"And that, good doctor, is where God's gift of coffee comes in." Joey raised her mug in a mock-toast.

Reid looked as if he was about to respond, perhaps with a text book worth of facts about the side effects of coffee, but was cut off by the entrance of Hotchner. "Let's get started." He nodded to Garcia as he pulled the door shut behind him.

Garcia stood and flicked her remote in the direction of the screen. "Today, my dear crime fighters, you are headed to Cleveland, Ohio." She pulled up three pictures of victims. "In the last six days, three women were found strangled and dumped in alleys around the downtown area."

"All three have signs of being restrained before they were killed." Reid muttered as he thumbed through the report.

"He crossed racial lines." Prentiss noted. "One was Caucasian, one was Hispanic, and one was Asian."

"But they're all within a similar age range." Joey said, flipping through the papers in the report. "Early to mid-twenties."

"Strangulation is really intimate." Morgan said thoughtfully, running his hand along his chin. "And it takes quite a bit of strength usually."

"But if these victims have signs of being restrained, this UnSub could be weaker or have a physical ailment." JJ pointed out.

"Socioeconomic status kind of seems all over the place." Prentiss furrowed her brows. "One was a grad student at Cleveland State University, one was a first grade teacher, and one worked at a law firm."

Joey rubbed a hand over her eyes. She wished the caffeine would kick in. She glanced out into the bullpen and felt her heart skip and her breath catch. Chief Pearce had just entered and was making his way across the floor. Joey felt her palms start to clam up, and she rubbed them subconsciously on her thighs.

"Ryan?" Joey glanced up to see everyone staring at her.

"Uh yah, sorry." Joey felt Morgan look into the bullpen, but she carefully kept her gaze on Garcia and the screen. "What were you saying about something being left at the crime scene?" She could feel her hands start to shake, so she wrapped them around her coffee mug.

"Yes." Garcia gestured at the pictures. "At each crime scene, an olive branch has been carefully placed on each victim."

"That's odd." Joey mused. "Olive Branches are usually associated with presenting a peace offering. This doesn't seem very peaceful."

"It could mean something to the UnSub." Reid said pensively. "By killing these women, he could be offering peace to someone or something specific."

Joey chanced a look back out into the bullpen. Pearce was ascending the stairs to the conference room. She quickly stared into her coffee.

"If you'll excuse me, Chief Pearce needs a word." Hotch gave a small bow. "Wheels up in thirty."

Joey sat frozen in her chair for a moment while everyone else stood to get ready. "You coming?" Reid asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Joey smiled and gave a small nod. Shaking herself slightly, she stood and made sure Pearce and Hotch were in Hotch's office before filing out behind the rest of the team.

Once the team had assembled on the jet and it had taken off, Hotch wasted no time gathering everyone. "It's a short flight, so let's go over what we know." Garcia's image appeared on the screens. "Garcia, what did you find about previous criminal records of the victims?"

"So far nothing." Garcia's voice was mixed with the sounds of a clacking keyboard. "The most serious thing any of the victims had was a parking ticket or an overdue book."

"Okay, we're going to have to talk to each of their families when we get there and see if they had any enemies." Hotch opened his report.

"The abduction sites are all clustered together, as are the dump sites, but he travels across the city between the two." Reid muttered, eyes scanning the report.

"We know that this UnSub doesn't have much of a cooling off period." Hotch looked around at everyone. "He's killed once every two days, and since there's signs of him holding these women before killing them, there's a good chance he already has his next victim. When we land, Reid, Prentiss, and Ryan go to the most recent dump site. Morgan and JJ, go to the M.E. and see if there's anything else they can tell us. I'll coordinate with the locals and see if anything's changed."

"Good luck!" Garcia called before the screen went dark.

JJ moved away to text her husband while Prentiss and Hotch went to make coffee. Joey was about to pull out a book when she heard Reid. "Hey," he brushed Joey's bruised wrist. She sucked in her breath and flinched. "Woah, sorry. What happened?"

Joey gave a tight smile. "You know me, I bruise easily. I could accidentally bump something in my sleep and wake up looking like someone used me as a punching bag. It probably happened while I wasn't paying attention."

Morgan eyed her from his seat across from her but said nothing.

"Do you want me to get you some ice for it?" Reid asked.

"No, no. That's okay." Joey insisted. "It's not that bad. It only hurts when I bump it again."

Reid nodded and pulled out a book from his messenger bag.

Joey watched him for a moment, then turned to gaze out the window, letting the sight of the billowing clouds surrounding them calm her as she mentally prepared herself for the case.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why are you gripping the armrest so tightly?" Prentiss asked casually.

"Because you drive like a maniac." Reid responded from the passenger's seat.

"I am not that bad." Prentiss argued as she took a left turn at almost forty-five miles per hour. Reid's knuckles whitened. In the back, Joey grabbed onto the drop-down handle above the door, but didn't say anything, merely grinning out at the street.

The latest dump site was just off one of the main roads in downtown Cleveland, and Prentiss, Reid, and Joey were headed that way. "Of all the danger I've faced in this job, I don't really want to die because you flipped the car in the middle of an intersection." Reid said through gritted teeth.

"You're dramatic." Prentiss rolled her eyes.

"I'm nauseated." Reid shot back.

Prentiss shared an exasperated look with Joey, but didn't reply. As she pulled the car into the alley and parked it, Reid practically threw himself out of his seat.

"Joey is driving on the way back." He demanded as they approached one of the local police officers who was there to assist them.

"Officer Brooks, nice to meet you. You got here fast." The police officer said with raised eyebrows.

"Did we?" Prentiss asked in mock surprise as Reid gave her a mutinous look.

"What can you tell us?" Joey asked, not allowing Reid the chance to bite back.

The officer indicated for them to follow him. He lead them over to a large blue dumpster surrounded by litter and trash. The place was still taped off, and the four of them ducked under to move closer.

"The body was found lying next to the dumpster around 2 pm. It was wrapped in a sort of tarp." Officer Brooks explained as Reid ducked down to inspect the sides of the dumpster.

"So what is that, remorse?" Joey asked.

"Well, it was pretty haphazard." Officer Brooks put his hands on his waist. "It wasn't wrapped neatly, just sort of there."

"It could be to contain a mess." Reid muttered, his face inches from the corner of the dumpster.

"2pm is pretty late in the day for the body to be discovered." Prentiss mused. "The other two bodies were discovered early in the morning, indicating that the UnSub dumped them sometime in the night. Maybe this one's different?"

"Probably not." Officer Brooks shook his head. "This alley may be off one of the main roads, but most of the buildings here are either closed or under renovation, so no one has a reason to come back here. A jogger was the one who reported it."

"Reid, what is it?" Joey asked as Reid reached out and started scratching at the side of the dumpster.

"When did they last work on the renovations?" Reid demanded.

"Uh…three or four days ago, I think." Officer Brooks replied. "It's an old dry cleaning place that they're turning into a coffee shop."

"Why?" Prentiss bent down next to Reid, who held up a finger.

"Plaster." Reid pondered.

"You think it's from the renovations?" Joey asked.

Reid shook his head. "No. This kind of plaster isn't used in construction." He looked up at the officer. "Where's the nearest art studio?"

Officer Brooks raised his eyebrows and exhaled loudly. "Oh I don't know, at least five or six blocks away."

Reid nodded and brushed his hands off. "We need to get back to Hotch."

Joey thanked Officer Brooks and the three of them headed back to the SUV. "Prentiss," Reid threatened. "Do not get in that driver's seat."

"I have the keys." Prentiss said simply.

"Hand them to Joey now."

Prentiss rolled her eyes dramatically and slapped the keys into Joey's waiting hand. Joey chuckled as she unlocked the car and they got in, Prentiss next to her, Reid in the back.

She was about to start the car when her phone started buzzing. Joey pulled it out to find that Chief Pearce was calling her. Her expression darkened as she stared at the screen for a moment before silencing it.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Reid asked.

"I'll call back later." Joey replied as she turned the ignition. She felt Prentiss eye her from the passenger's seat, but ignored her as she pulled the SUV into reverse and backed out.

The Cleveland precinct was modest but well-furnished and bustling as Reid, Prentiss, and Joey entered. They found Hotch in a conference room toward the back of the third floor where he had arranged a map of the city and tape up the pictures of the three victims.

"We found plaster at the latest crime scene." Reid said as a greeting. "But it's not anything that would have been found around that area."

"Morgan and JJ said they found plaster under each of the victims nails and in their lungs, as well." Hotch replied, turning at their entrance.

Prentiss pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Willing and ready!" Garcia's voice chirped from the other end.

"Garcia," Prentiss said. "How many art studios in Cleveland work with plaster?"

Hotch and Joey watched Reid begin to build a geographic profile. "Oh…yikes. Around fifteen." Garcia replied.

"Stick to either the north or the west side of the city." Reid suggested, stepping back from the map.

"Uh…" There was the sound of keys clicking. "That brings me to six."

"Garcia, take out any of the studios that only deal with sculpting or casts." Hotch instructed, looking down at his phone. "Morgan and JJ said one of the victims had traces of acrylic paint in her hair."

"Okay…" There was more clacking of the keyboard. "That brings me to four studios."

"Cross check those with the lives of each victim and see if all of them visited one of those studios." Hotch said. "And run a background check on the employees of all of them. It's likely the UnSub works at one of them."

Four hours and six interviews later, Joey could tell they were close to catching the UnSub. Garcia had found that all three victims had visited one of the art studios near the latest dump sites at least once in the past two months. A janitor at the studio had past convictions of sexual assault and battery, and he hadn't shown for work that day.

Morgan and JJ were on their way to his home, but Joey was sure the UnSub was keeping the victims in the studio, so she, Prentiss, and Reid had waited until the art studio closed before piling into one of the SUVs and driving over. Hotch said he, Morgan, and JJ would follow as soon as the other two returned.

As the SUV sped through the downtown streets at the hand of Prentiss, Joey's phone rang from her pocket in the passenger's seat. Joey glared down at the number used by Pearce before silencing it.

"Still not going to answer?" Prentiss asked.

"We're in the middle of something." Joey replied shortly. She could feel Reid's eyes burning on the back of her neck from the back seat, but a sudden jerk of the car threw them off. Prentiss had crossed three lanes of traffic with one swift swivel of the wheel.

"Prentiss!" Reid shouted angrily.

"Sorry, I didn't realize the turn was coming up so quickly." Prentiss pulled up in front of the art studio and threw the car in park. The three of them climbed out.

"We should wait for back up." Joey commented, drawing her gun out of its holster.

Reid shook his head. "Local PD is on their way, and the UnSub already has his next victim. She doesn't have much time. We have to go in now."

Joey looked to Prentiss, who nodded. "Reid and I will take the front. Ryan, you head to the back and make sure he doesn't try and make a run for it."

Joey nodded and broke away from the other two who were now silently opening the front door. The back door to the art studio was connected to an alley. Moving around a large dumpster, Joey placed a hand on the handle of the large steel door to check it. Seeing that it was unlocked, she pulled it open and stepped inside.

It took Joey's eyes a few moments to adjust to the dark interior of the back room of the studio. She glanced around to see canvases leaning up against walls and boxes of paint and brushes stacked haphazardly off to one side. A dim light was emanating from a room ahead of her, so she carefully stepped her way over to the door frame.

Thomas Hayden was a small, twitchy man who seemed to be sweating profusely despite the cool winter air. He was standing over something Joey couldn't see, but then he stepped away to reveal a young woman strapped by her wrists and ankles to a table. Her mouth was taped shut, but she was quite conscious.

Joey could see that Hayden had grabbed a small wire tool used to sculpt clay. He hobbled toward the restrained girl. "Thomas Hayden!" Joey called out, her gun raised.

Hayden turned at lightning speed and pulled a gun from one of the nearby boxes, aiming it at the restrained girl's head. Joey paused. That was unexpected. "Hayden, let the girl go."

"I can't!" Hayden shouted, twitching nervously. "I have to do it. I _have_ to. For her!"

"For who, Hayden? Who are you doing this for?" Joey glanced down to the girl on the table, trying to give her a reassuring look.

Hayden didn't seem to be listening to Joey. He was muttering to himself under his breath.

"Hayden…" Joey took a step forward.

"NO!" Hayden screamed. "Get away from me!" Joey saw Hayden raise his gun…

The sound was deafening as both weapons fired at the same time.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello again! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I will be driving back to school and getting ready for the next semester tomorrow, so the next upload might not be until Sunday, but I have it ready for you guys! For those of you who have faved/followed/reviewed, THANK YOU! I see you, I appreciate you, I love you. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

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Joey was lying on her back. She couldn't feel any sharp pains, but she was winded.

Her vest had taken the hit. Joey groaned as she scratched at the vest, trying to get it off to relieve the pressure on her chest. None of her ribs felt broken, but some of them were definitely bruised.

The sound of footsteps fast approaching reached Joey.

"Ryan!" Prentiss dropped to her knees next to Joey while Reid quickly moved to where Thomas Hayden had dropped.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Joey wheezed, waving Prentiss away. She sat up and began to pull at the velcro straps. "My vest took the hit. Go help the girl."

Prentiss gave her an anxious once-over before nodding and standing to help the restrained girl who was now crying softly on the table.

Morgan and JJ suddenly burst into the room, guns raised. "What happened?" JJ demanded, seeing Joey sitting on the ground, still pulling her vest off. They both holstered their guns and Morgan moved to help Reid.

"Hayden had a gun." Joey said, using a stack of boxes to hoist herself into a standing position. "He pulled it and I…I…" She faltered, finally realizing what exactly she'd done. Her breathing suddenly became more pained. "I didn't know what to do so I—."

"Hey." JJ came over to her and grabbed her shoulders. Joey stiffened. "You did the right thing. It was a clean shot. Besides," She looked over and Joey could see Reid and Morgan hauling a handcuffed Hayden off the floor. He was bleeding from his shoulder, but otherwise fine. "It looks like he's going to be okay." She turned back to Joey, eyebrows drawn together. "Are you sure you're okay?" Her eyes darted all around Joey's body, searching for injuries.

Joey nodded. "Ribs took a bit of a beating, but otherwise I'm fine." She cringed as she bent to pick up her vest, holding her side.

"Okay, let's go get you checked out anyway." JJ insisted, leading her out to where two ambulances were waiting.

As Joey sat on the back of the ambulance getting checked over by an EMT, she felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out to see a text from Pearce. Just one word: _answer_. Joey barely had time to register the text before her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered, failing to hide the resentment in her voice.

"Agent Ryan, how nice to finally hear your voice." Joey rolled her eyes. "Why haven't you been answering my calls?"

"I'm working a case."

"And what's the status as of right now?" Pearce asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Joey sighed. "We just arrested the UnSub."

"Excellent. So you'll be flying home tonight, I assume?"

"Yah. Hotchner will have to take care of a few things with the local detective, but we'll leave after that." Joey closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew was coming.

"Good. I want to see you as soon as you get back."

Joey clenched her jaw. It had already been a long day. "Sir, please, if it could just wait until tomorrow morning—."

"You know…" Pearce cut her off. "I was thinking of sharing my… _extensive_ photo collection with Agent Hotchner. I'm not sure of his tastes, but I think he'll find what I have…interesting to say the least. What do you think?"

Joey's heart dropped. "Okay…fine. Just please, you don't have to do that. I'll be there tonight."

"Good. I'll be waiting." The line went dead.

Joey opened her eyes to see Reid standing before her. "Who was that?"

"Uh, no one." Joey answered, pulling herself out of her head. "Just someone from home."

"Oh…" Reid looked awkward. He bounced on the balls of his feet before sighing. "I just…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Joey gave him a curious look. "Sorry? For what?"

"You were right. We should have waited for back up, but I made us go in early and—." Reid began what Joey could tell would quickly turn into a ramble so she held up a hand.

"Reid, it's not your fault." He looked uncertain. "Really. None of us profiled him as using a gun, and we couldn't have predicted what was going to happen. Besides, he was about to strangle the girl in there when I entered so really, _you_ were right." She implored with a small smile. "Besides, I'm _fine_."

Reid twitched his mouth to the side, but a smile tugged at his lips. He stepped off to talk to Prentiss as Hotch suddenly appeared. "Are you okay?"

Joey nodded emphatically. "Just a couple of bruised ribs, but besides that I'm good."

"Good. Prentiss told me it was clean, and Hayden's going to be fine." He glanced at the EMT who hand gently lifted Joey's shirt and was wrapping her ribs. "You'll be okay to fly?"

"Yes, Hotch, really, it's not a big deal. I'm fine." Joey insisted, though she shivered at the touch of the EMT.

Hotch nodded. "Okay. Once you're done, we'll head back to the station and finish there before flying home."

Back in the SUV, Reid and Prentiss buckled in the front seat. "I get to hit you every time my seatbelt locks." Reid muttered bitterly.

Prentiss ignored him and turned around in her seat to face Joey. "Okay, what's wrong?"

Reid froze, then slowly turned and faced Joey as well. Joey looked up from the window. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well you are a terrible liar." Prentiss stated matter-of-factly.

"We know something's up." Reid said quietly from the passenger's seat. "You've been getting texts and calls all day."

Joey gave him a very measured look. "Nothing's wrong." She said firmly. She turned to look out the window again, uncomfortable under her colleagues' gazes. She wished they would drop it.

"Who was really on the phone back in the ambulance? And what did they want you to do?" Reid asked hesitantly.

"Reid, drop it." Joey struggled to keep her voice calm.

"Oh my God." Prentiss suddenly breathed, her eyes widening. "Are you being _blackmailed_?"

Joey closed her eyes bracingly. "Prentiss, it's nothing. Just…let's get going, okay?"

"No! If you're being—." A sudden honking behind them caused them all to jump.

Hotch was in the SUV behind them, wondering why they hadn't started moving yet. Prentiss gave Joey a we're-not-finished-with-this-conversation look and pulled the car into drive.

The flight home was short and filled only with Joey losing spectacularly to three games of chess with Reid. As the team descended to the tarmac and headed toward their respective cars, Morgan called out with a mischievous smile.

"Hey Ryan! JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, and I are headed out for some drinks. Care to join?"

Joey grinned but waved him off. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll take it easy tonight and spend the night in." She grabbed her ribs for effect. Though as everyone else piled into their cars and drove away, her smile vanished.

Joey climbed into her car and pressed her head back into the rest, steeling herself, before turning the ignition.

Pearce was the only one on his floor that still had his lights on as Joey made her way down the hall. She knocked on the door and entered at the call.

"Agent Ryan, good to see you made it back safely." Pearce's smile reminded Joey of a crocodile as he sat behind his desk. "Please, sit."

Joey tenderly moved to sit as Pearce stood and came around to lean on the front of his desk in front of her.

"The case went well then?" Pearce asked.

"Yah, fine. We caught the UnSub before he could hurt anyone else." Joey said to her knees.

"Good, good." Pearce folded his arms importantly. "I need you to deliver an envelope tonight." Joey said nothing, but continued her defiant stare at the floor.

Without warning, Pearce's hand connected with the side of her face. Joey gasped, then instantly winced as pain seared through her side. Stars had popped into her vision.

"When I talk to you, I expect a response." Pearce said with a sinisterly calm voice.

Joey nodded. "Okay."

Pearce leaned down toward Joey's face and she tried to pull away. Pearce reached out and tucked a piece of Joey's hair that had come loose behind her ear. She barely repressed a shudder. Pearce cupped the side of Joey's face that he had struck.

"You need to start having a little more respect." He whispered with a smile. Suddenly, Pearce's hand slid down and started to close around Joey's throat. Panicking, Joey's hand shot up to her neck and tried to pull Pearce's hand away.

When Joey started to see black creep into the edges of her vision, Pearce finally released her, walking back around his desk. As Joey coughed and attempted to take huge breaths, massaging her throat, Pearce opened a safe and pulled out an unmarked manilla envelope.

"You'll be delivering this. Drop it off and leave without speaking to anyone. An address will be sent to your phone." He said with a sudden business-like manner.

It took Joey two tries to stand and take the envelop from Pearce's outstretched hand. As she made her way back to the elevator, she felt like she was viewing the hallway though a reversed telescope. With her bruised ribs, Pearce's meetings, and the overall lack of sleep and food Joey had been getting the last couple months, her body was starting to protest.

Later, when Joey had finished delivering Pearce's package, she stood in her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the steamy mirror. Her hair still dripping from her shower, Joey realized how thin her face was becoming. There were dark circles under her eyes that could have matched Reid's and her cheekbones were too defined against her skin.

Sighing and pulling her pajamas on, Joey moved to her bed. She checked her watch. If she fell asleep now, she would be able to get a few hours of sleep before she had to wake up for work tomorrow. Joey resentfully set her alarm and fell into bed, hoping sleep would take her away soon.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello again! So I actually lied and I am able to upload today, but I'm not sure when the next one will be SO I'm uploading two chapters tonight (because the next one is pretty short). Once again, if you are sticking with this story, thank you so much, and I immensely appreciate those of who who are favoriting/following this story. As always, reviews are appreciated but never expected (though they make my day better!). I hope you guys enjoy!

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Joey gingerly stepped off the elevator. She squeezed her eyes shut at the bright lights. With what felt like an extreme amount of energy, she pushed the glass doors to the bullpen open. She felt funny. Her head felt foggy and all the usual sounds of the office seemed as if they were coming from underwater. She couldn't remember if the last time she'd actually eaten anything. Vaguely, she thought she heard someone say her name.

As she reached her desk, Joey shook her head a little to clear it. Instantly she realized her mistake as the room began to tilt. She put a hand on her desk to steady herself and felt someone grab her arm.

"Joey." Joey peered up to see Spencer's concerned face staring back at her. He eased her into her chair. "Here, sit down. Are you alright?"

Morgan looked up from his desk. Reid looked at her cheek and temple, his expression darkening. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." Joey mumbled, turning to face her desk and the large stack of papers that waited there. In her peripherals, she saw Morgan stand and approach them.

"No, hey." Reid grabbed her arm again to turn her back to him. She pulled her arm away as he touched the bruised part. Joey rubbed her brow exasperatedly. There was a slight ringing in her ears and she wished Reid would just leave her alone.

"Ryan, what's going on?" Moran asked as he stopped on the other side of her. "You've been acting weird and distant for the last couple of weeks. We know something's up."

"I said it's nothing." Joey repeated, opening the top file on her stack. She willed her eyes to focus.

"Uh uh, don't lie to us." Morgan said as he crossed his arms and leaned on her desk. "You're hiding something."

"Come on, Joey." Reid pleaded softly.

Joey sighed and turned to him, struggling to hide her annoyance. But before she could say a word, Chief Pearce entered the bullpen. He locked eyes with Joey and raised an eyebrow threateningly.

Joey dropped her gaze and swallowed the lump in her throat. She quickly turned back to her desk. "I can't…I can't tell you." She whispered.

She felt Reid and Morgan exchange a look behind her. "Okay…" Reid scooted closer to her desk. "You can't tell us here, or—?"

"I just can't tell you." Joey repeated, harsher this time.

Reid leaned back, glancing up at Morgan again.

"Alright." Morgan said quietly. He paused for a moment before pushing himself off Joey's desk and returning to his own.

Joey took a deep breath and grabbed a pen, watching Pearce enter Hotch's office out of the corner of her eye.

Joey was careful to be busy with work when Pearce finally emerged from Hotch's office. She kept her eyes trained on her computer screen as he descended the steps and made his way to the elevator. She felt her shoulders sag a bit when she knew that he was gone.

Throughout the rest of the morning as she worked, Joey could feel Reid's eyes on her as she flipped back and forth between the computer screen and the files on her desk. Occasionally, she thought she could feel Morgan watching her, too, but she didn't dare look as she didn't want to seem paranoid or suspicious.

When Joey's eyes started to get fuzzy looking at all the paperwork, she stood. Reid looked up as she did, but Joey deliberately ignored him as she walked to the break room. She was looking at the floor, so determined to make it without stumbling, that Joey almost ran straight into JJ by the fridge.

"Oh! Sorry, Joey." JJ chuckled a little, but her face fell as she looked up at Joey. "Hey… did something happen to your face?" She asked, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I just bumped my head on a cabinet." Joey gave a quick laugh and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. "You know me, I'm such a klutz." She turned on her heel and walked back out to her desk, not giving JJ the chance to respond, as she had opened her mouth and looked like she wanted to.

Joey sighed and sat heavily in her chair, taking a much-needed drink when she heard her name.

"Ryan." She looked up to see Hotch standing at the railing just above her desk. "Can I see you in my office please?"

"Yah, of course." Joey replied. She took a deep breath. Surely Pearce wouldn't have said anything to him. She anxiously straitened her shirt as she entered after Hotch. As he pulled the door shut behind him, Joey stood in the center of his office, staring down at her shoes. Her hands started to shake and she balled them into fists. A throbbing had started behind her eyes.

Hotchner paused before speaking. "Morgan thinks there's something going on that you're not telling us about."

Joey snapped her head up, irritated. "Morgan can—."

"And I think he's right." Hotch finished quietly. Joey felt anxious under his piercing stare and quickly looked back down at the floor. "Joey…if you're struggling with something…we want to help you."

Joey took a shaky breath. "I'm not struggling with anything. It's…it's nothing. Morgan's just…overprotective." She met his gaze defiantly.

But Hotch's eyes were only kind. He stared at her for a moment, as if he were making a mental assessment. "Roll up your sleeves." He said finally.

Joey blinked. "What?"

"Roll up your sleeves." Hotch repeated. "If you really have nothing to hide from us, roll up your sleeves."

Joey let out a breath. She felt tears sting behind her eyes and angrily blinked them away. She would not cry in front of her boss. Slowly, she rolled up each of her shirtsleeves.

Purple and yellow bruises covered each of her forearms and some disappeared upward toward her bicep. Joey stared at the rug, humiliated and anxious of Hotch's reaction.

But Hotch merely looked at her arms, his gentle expression never changing, and motioned toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Sit."

Joey sat obediently and slowly rolled her sleeves back down. Hotch sat at his desk and folded his hands. "Joey, you need to tell me what's happening. Is your partner doing this?"

Joey shook her head. "No…no, I'm not in a relationship."

Hotch hesitated, furrowing his brows. "Morgan isn't the only one who's said something to me." Joey met his eyes. "Prentiss asked me if I thought you were being blackmailed." Joey began to subconsciously pull at her thumb in her lap. "And Morgan thinks it's Pearce."

Joey felt sick. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "I can't…I can't tell you." She mumbled to Hotch's nameplate.

"I've asked Garcia to temporarily disable the camera outside of my office." Hotch said. Joey looked up into his eyes. He gave her a knowing look. "What has he done?"

Joey took a shaky breath. She couldn't believe she was telling Hotch. For so long she had kept all of Pearce's errands and jobs to herself. She felt as if she were pulling the words from herself.

"Pearce…has information. Information about me…that-that he's using to force me to work for him." Joey clenched her hands into fists.

"Work for you how?" Hotch inquired.

"He's been having me do jobs…errands for him for the past six months." Joey chewed her lip as pensive lines appeared in Hotch's forehead. "And he just likes to keep tabs on me…to know that he can use me whenever he wants. I just—."

Joey's phone buzzed in her pocket and she felt her blood run cold. Her eyes widened as she pulled it out of her pocket. It was a text from Pearce. _Where are you? Why is one of the camera's out in the bullpen?_

Joey felt her heart rate pick up. It felt hard to breathe. "He knows the camera is out." She whispered.

"Come on." Hotch stood and Joey followed him out to where the rest of the team was sitting at their desks. "Grab your wallet and jacket." Hotch muttered to Joey and she nodded, moving to obey.

"Everyone." Hotch called. The team looked up at his voice. "We're going to lunch."

"But I thought—." Reid began, but Hotch cut him off.

"We're all going to lunch."

Prentiss and JJ exchanged confused looks. Morgan quickly looked to Joey, but no one said a word as they gathered their things and headed toward the elevator. Joey pulled out her phone and replied to Pearce. _I'll ask Garcia about the camera, but we're all going to lunch._

As the team filed onto the elevator, Joey sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against the back wall. "Hey, you okay?" Joey opened her eyes as Prentiss gently laid a hand on her arm. Joey stiffened. She looked up to see Hotch giving her a silently concerned look. Giving Prentiss a tight grin, she nodded as JJ punched the button for the parking garage and the elevator doors slid shut.


	7. Chapter 7

The team, Garcia included, sat around a table at one of the local cafes. They all had food, though Joey ordered nothing but water and fries, not sure that she could eat anything more with her churning stomach.

After a few moments of chewing in silence, Morgan put his sandwich down. "Alright, I'll bite. What's going on? We know something's up with Ryan…so what is it?"

Joey said nothing but glanced at Hotch, who merely stared back, both unsure of how to start.

Prentiss stepped in instead. "You're being blackmailed aren't you?"

Joey opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"By Chief Pearce?" Morgan finished.

Joey paused, closed her mouth, and nodded once, grabbing her water to give her hands something to do.

"What?" JJ and Garcia cried in unison. Reid's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

Joey looked to Hotch again, who nodded. She carefully placed her glass down on the table, unsure of how to start. "It's…been going on for a while now. Several months."

"What has he been having you do?" Morgan asked.

Joey shrugged. She didn't feel safe revealing this kind of information in such a public place. She wasn't even sure she wanted to tell her team, but they had cornered her into it. "Just…errands, I guess? Pick up stuff, give people rides. Most of it isn't legal, from what I can tell, but I don't know much. He intentionally keeps me in the dark for most of it."

"What does he have on you?" Prentiss asked.

Joey reached or a fry, then decided against it, dropping her hands into her lap. "Information… a file." She answered vaguely. When she found the rest of the team staring at her, waiting for her to elaborate, she sighed. "It's just…information that needs to stay private."

"But what kind of—?" Morgan started, but Prentiss cut him off.

"She's entitled to a private life." She said with a slightly warning glance.

"But if he's using it against you…" Morgan trailed off.

"It's just stuff from my past." Joey said, taking a drink again. She wished her stomach would calm down. It felt like a hurricane was raging inside her.

Morgan didn't press anymore, but he furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

"What are we going to do?" JJ asked, looking to the team leader.

Hotch paused. "We're going to put a stop to it." The team all waited so he addressed Garcia. "I'll need your help. You, Prentiss, and I are going to try and find the file Pearce has against Joey."

"And we're going to arrest him?" Garcia asked hopefully.

Hotch nodded severely. "That's the goal, yes."

"But we need evidence, solid evidence." JJ pointed out.

"We'll get that." Hotch said, looking at Joey. She wondered what he had in mind. "I also need you to look into Pearce's past." Hotch continued to Garcia. "This might not be the first time he's done this."

"But we have to be careful." Joey spoke up. The team looked to her in surprise. "He… he watches the cameras in the office, and he tracks my phone. I don't know what else, but he can see almost everything."

Garcia huffed. "I'd like to see him try and stalk me. My bat cave is impenetrable, and I'll be damned if he's going to use my computers against me."

Hotch nodded. "Garcia's office will be our safe room, but we can't all be in there all the time. He'll get suspicious."

"And we have to keep taking cases." Joey continued, and Hotch nodded in agreement. "If we drop everything to focus on this, he'll catch on and run."

"But we don't have another case. Do we?" Morgan asked, glancing at Garcia, who shook her head. "So where do we start?"

"When we get back, Prentiss, Garcia, and I will start to go through Pearce's things. Garcia, you'll need to make sure he doesn't have any extra surveillance in his office. If he does, disable it." Hotch instructed.

"What?" Joey cried, nearly choking on her water. "You can't go through his things!"

"We have the chance now." Hotch explained calmly. "Pearce is leaving for two days to go to a briefing with the head of the DOJ and the Secretary of Defense. That's what he came to see me about this morning."

Joey said nothing, but swallowed thickly. She didn't like this idea. The rest of the team nodded and stood to leave. Joey shoved a few more fries into her mouth and stood with them.

They all headed back to their cars. Joey had carpooled with Reid, so she climbed into the passenger's seat, lost in thought. She had a feeling something was going to go terribly wrong in their investigation.

Reid climbed into the drivers seat and paused before starting the car. "Thanks for telling us." He said quietly. Joey looked at him for a moment, taking the time to appreciate Reid's kind eyes. He didn't wait for a response, but merely turned the ignition. He pulled away from the curb and the two of them rode back to the office in silence.

In the parking garage, the team collectively walked up to the elevators. As they did, the doors slid open and out walked Chief Pearce, followed by a few of his colleagues. Joey's step faltered for a moment. Pearce nodded curtly to Hotch before sliding his eyes to Joey's. He ever so slightly raised an eyebrow above his threatening gaze, and Joey quickly dropped her eyes to her shoes, following JJ into the elevator.

As the doors slid shut behind them, Morgan exhale heavily. "I just can't believe it. How can he get away with it?"

"He won't." Prentiss replied simply. "We'll catch him…we have to."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello hello! Sorry for the delayed update. I started school again this week and it was super crazy! But I have another long chapter for you guys to make up for it. I hope you enjoy! If you feel like it, let me know what you think!

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Reid, Morgan, JJ, and Joey had been waiting for what felt like hours. JJ had started to pace, Reid tapped his pen on his desk nervously, and Morgan stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at the door. Finally, Hotchner, Prentiss, and Garcia pushed their way into the bullpen. They strode up to Reid's desk, where everyone else had gathered.

JJ stopped. "Did you find anything?"

Hotch looked straight at Joey, a dark look on his face. "Take her to interrogation one."

"What?" Morgan cried as Reid and JJ exchanged looks of alarm.

"That's an order." Hotch nodded his head at Prentiss, who offered Joey a small smile and beckoned for her to follow. "The rest of you wait in the conference room." Hotch moved away to his office while Garcia, who had a frightened look on her face, lead Reid, Morgan, and JJ to the round table.

The interrogation room was dimly lit and the sky was changing to evening pink outside. Prentiss sat across from Joey, nervously picking at her fingernails.

Joey felt her palms begin to sweat. She wasn't sure if she could tell Hotch or Prentiss everything. She definitely trusted her team, but then again, she had trusted Pearce in the beginning, too…

The door burst open and Hotch entered. He slammed the door and stood behind Prentiss, his arms folded. "What information does Pearce have on you?" He demanded.

Joey chewed her lip but said nothing, glancing back and forth between her two colleagues.

Hotch leaned forward on the table. "Let me repeat myself. What information does Pearce have against you?" He asked menacingly.

Joey closed her eyes and bit her lip harder to keep it from trembling, but still she said nothing. Prentiss gave her an empathetic look, but Hotch slammed his hand on the table. Joey flinched.

"All we could find was a sealed file which contains a joint investigation between the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA." Hotch growled. "Now Garcia could probably find a way around the clearance if she had enough time, but I really don't want to jeopardize her position, so you need to tell us _what is on that file._ "

"Hotch!" Prentiss warned.

Joey squeezed her eyes shut again as tears began to pool in her eyes.

"She's scared." Prentiss implored. She stood and pulled Hotch out of the interrogation room, leaving Joey alone.

She quickly wiped a tear off her cheek and gripped the armrests of the metal chair so tightly the skin around her knuckles felt like it would tear.

Prentiss and Hotch were hardly gone for a minute before they returned. Prentiss returned to her seat and Hotch stood behind her again, though he seemed calmer. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that."

"It's okay." Joey mumbled.

"Ryan." Prentiss folded her hands on the table. Her voice was soft and kind. "We know the information in that file is sensitive, but we need to know what it is, or we might not be able to help you." She smiled gently.

Joey glanced up at Hotch, who still looked serious, but nodded once. Joey sighed and rubbed her hands on her thighs. "Okay…but if I'm going to tell you, I might as well tell everyone."

"We'll meet in the conference room." Hotch said. Joey and Prentiss rose and followed him out.

In the conference room, everyone took a seat except Hotch and Prentiss, who stood near the television screen, arms folded.

"What's going on?" Garcia asked. "Why isn't anyone talking. What did you find out?"

Joey paused, looking to Hotch, who nodded severely. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the table, folded. She couldn't believe she was finally coming out with it all. She spoke only at the table as she began.

"As you know, eight months ago I graduated from the FBI's academy. I was in the top five of my class and passed all the tactical skills tests with flying colors. I had everything I needed for a job except a good recommendation. A week after my graduation, Chief Aidan Pearce approached me and said he had put in a good word with the BAU, and that I was hired. I wasn't sure why he chose to give me such a recommendation, but I was grateful and gladly accepted the position."

She chanced a glance up at her team. None of them said a word, but continued to stare at her expectantly, so she pressed on. "About a month and a half after I started here, Pearce approached me and asked if I would do him a favor, no questions asked, since he had made sure I would get this position, which he frequently reminded me was rare for a new graduate. I told him that of course I would do him a favor, and I was sent to pick up an envelope. It was left in a P.O. Box. I retrieved it and gave it to Pearce without any other contact. It seemed harmless enough, and I never knew what was in the envelope or who it was from."

Joey began to wring her hands nervously. "A couple of days later, he asked if I would do another favor. This one was similar, but I was to pick up a bag this time. Again, it seemed harmless and I never had contact with anyone but Pearce. Eventually, Chief Pearce began asking favors almost twice a week when we weren't on a case. They escalated from retrieving envelopes and small bags to becoming a personal driver for masked men who were heavily armed. I think they were Czech."

Joey heard Garcia give a small gasp, but she ignored it. "That was when I approached Pearce saying that, while I appreciated his recommendation to the BAU, I wouldn't be able to do anymore favors or run any more errands for him because I knew what he was doing wasn't…strictly speaking, legal. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone what he had been asking me to do, but I wouldn't be able to continue. However, that was when Pearce informed me that he had a file that contained…sensitive information that he knew I would rather keep sealed. He threatened to use the information against me should I refuse him again."

Joey hesitated then, looking up at Prentiss, who gave a small smile and an encouraging nod. Joey dropped her hands into her lap and took another shaky breath. She hadn't said any of what she was about to reveal in over thirteen years.

"My real name is Samara Hassim, and I was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq." She paused as she felt her team shift around her, taking in the information. She briefly looked up to Hotch. He was still staring at her intently, his mouth a hard line, but the sharp edges seemed to have softened a little.

Joey stared back at the table as she pressed on. "In 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Military approached several members of our community who they knew had ties with terrorist groups, but might sympathize with U.S. goals. They were looking for informants…and my father agreed. He was a tailor and some prominent members of Al Qaeda used to visit him. He was horrified with what had happened to the Twin Towers, and wanted to prove that those men didn't represent his…our country, so he agreed to become a Confidential Informant."

She couldn't seem to stop now. It was as if her mind had been waiting all these years for an opportunity to reveal what she had kept hidden for so long. "For two years, my father quietly worked in his shop and passed information on to the U.S. military. He knew it was dangerous, but he felt an obligation to do anything possible to make up for the horrible attack in New York. Overall, everything was fine until one day, one of my older brothers discovered what my father had been doing. My two older brothers had been away for the past three years, and when they found out, they were angry. They called my father a traitor and said that they never wanted to see him again. It destroyed my father, but what we didn't know is that for the previous three years, my brothers had been recruited and were training with a branch of Al Qaeda…"

Joey's hands began to tremble and she folded them in her lap. "We knew we had been compromised, and that it wasn't safe anymore. The CIA deployed a team to covertly extract us, but somehow, my brothers found out and brought their team to stop us. The CIA showed up the same time that they did, and there was a shootout as we were leaving. My father and I made it to the HumVees, but…my mother and younger brother were killed in the crossfire. I was thirteen."

She rubbed her hands on the armrests of the chair. "My father and I were taken out of the country and flown to the States. We were given new names, new identities. The government gave my father a job and a modest house for us to live in as the relocated us to a small town in the middle of Indiana. We worked hard to fit into our new lives. I made sure I didn't have an accent when I spoke English, and my father expanded what little English he did know to become fluent. We never spoke of my mother or younger brother, and did everything to destroy any evidence of my two older brothers. It's just been us two for the past thirteen years."

Joey took another deep breath. "When Pearce found out what was in the file, he said that if I refused to work for him, he would plant evidence to make it seem as though my father had switched allegiance and was now working with a known terrorist cell group based out of Indianapolis. He would be arrested and deported back to Iraq." Joey stared straight at Hotch. "If my father gets deported back to Iraq, he will be executed."

Joey finally looked around at the rest of her team. Garcia had silent tears streaming down her cheeks, while JJ had a hand over her mouth. Reid's eyes were wide as he tried to take in all of the information, and Prentiss had a look of horror on her face. Morgan's face was hard and set, and Hotch's eyes had turn sympathetic.

"And he hurt you, too?" Garcia whispered. Joey looked up at her. "All the bruises," Garcia expanded. "Pearce hurt you, as well?"

Joey tightened her jaw as she subconsciously brushed her fingers over a still-fading bruise above her right brow. "Uh…yah, after a while he got physical if I put up any kind of resistance, but…" she shook her head. "I couldn't let my father get framed."

"I'm so sorry." Reid was barely audible to Joey's left. "None of us had any idea this was happening."

Joey smiled softly at him and reached a hand out to cover his. "Reid, you don't have anything to be sorry for. You couldn't have known he was like this."

"Morgan, Prentiss." Hotch said quietly. Morgan stood on command and the three stepped into the room behind the round table.

"I'm sorry about your mom and little brother." JJ spoke up, her eyes heavy.

"Thank you." Joey replied earnestly.

Hotch, Prentiss, and Morgan reappeared. "If we're going to catch Pearce, we need to be careful. Ryan's right. We have to act normal, or else he'll catch on and try to bolt." He sighed looking at his watch. "It's been a long day. Everyone head home for the night and we'll talk about this tomorrow morning."

Everyone stood as they were dismissed. "Hey, Ryan." Joey turned to see Prentiss stalling while everyone else filed out. "Are you going to be okay tonight?" She asked.

Joey nodded and gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Yah, I'll be fine. Thanks."

Reid and Joey were walking across the parking deck together. Joey had parked next to him that morning, and she dug through her bag for her keys.

"I'm sorry about everything." Reid said after a long period of silence.

Joey smiled over at him. "I know, Reid. You already said."

Reid twitched his mouth to the side. "Yah, I know, but I don't know how to help the situation, and I really want to, but I don't know what to do so I just keep saying I'm sorry because I hope it makes it a little bit better—." He began to ramble.

Joey cut him off, grinning. "It does help. It means a lot that you guys are on my side and want to help me."

Reid smiled back at her. They had reached their cars. Reid allowed Joey in first, so she could back out to give him more space. Joey got into the drivers seat and turned the ignition. Nothing happened. Frowning, she tried again. Still nothing, no lights or sounds or anything.

Joey looked up as Reid tapped on her window. "What's that?" His question was muffled through the window as he pointed to her windshield. Joey looked over to see something tucked under her wipers.

Joey got out and reached forward, snatching an envelope off the front of her car. Her heart sank as she turned the envelope over to reveal ' _Agent Josephine Ryan_ ' printed on the front in type-lettering. She quickly unsealed it and pulled out a note saying ' _call with report_.'

Joey sighed. "What is it?" Reid asked curiously. Joey gave him a measured look before handing over the note. Reid frowned. "It's from Pearce?"

Joey nodded. "And coincidentally, my car's dead." She said bitterly. "I wonder what could have happened."

Reid handed the envelope back. "Well come on. I'll give you a ride." He gestured toward his car. Joey stared at him for a moment, sizing him up, before following.

As Reid pulled out of the parking garage, Joey's phone buzzed. _Did you get my note?_ Was Pearce's text. Joey gritted her teeth and replied.

 _Yes. How do you expect me to run errands with a dead car?_

A few moments later, the reply came. _That's not my problem to worry about, is it?_ Joey sighed and threw her phone in her bag, annoyed. Reid glanced over at her.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

Joey looked over at him and took in his sweet, virtuous look. She calmed a little. "No thanks. I really appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I promise." She added as Reid looked like he was about to protest.

"Thanks for the ride." Joey said with a small smile, leaning into the window from the sidewalk outside of her apartment. "I'm really grateful."

Reid smiled back. "Anytime. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I pinky promise I am." Joey's mouth twisted wryly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Her smile faded as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. It was all out in the open now, all off her chest. As Joey changed for bed, she wondered if it was a good idea, bringing her team into it. She certainly felt better for it, but she feared it would complicate things. Deciding she would worry about it tomorrow, Joey switched off her light, fell into bed, and became dead to the world.


	9. Chapter 9

The dry air was hot and the sun was blistering in the sky directly overhead. A dog barked down the dusty alleyway. Joey watched as children played with a ball a couple doors down.

She turned in to face the small kitchen where she was standing. "Abdel." She chided to the boy sitting on the floor, playing with toy soldiers. "Go pack those. We'll be leaving soon."

The little boy obediently scooped up his figurines and ran up the stairs to put them away. Joey turned to look down the alley again. "Papa!" She called through the small house. "Maman! I think they're here."

Joey turned at the sound of bustling fabric to see her parents hurry into the kitchen, carpet bags in hand. Joey's mother was tightly clutching Abdel's hand. Her father handed her a bag. "Let's go."

They quickly scurried out into the alley. Her father didn't bother locking the door behind them, and Joey hardly had the chance to give the place one last look-over before her father was pulling her toward the large tan truck that sat waiting at the end of the alley.

But Joey suddenly realized that everything had gone deathly quiet. She couldn't hear the children's laughter anymore, and the dog had stopped barking. She turned to look behind them. "Papa-."

The first bullet struck Joey's mother in her back and exited through her chest, ripping a hole through her heart. "MAMAN!" Joey screamed. Her younger brother had stumbled, still holding his mother's hand when she fell limp to the ground. Vaguely, Joey registered men exiting the humvee ahead of them and running toward them to assist.

Joey grabbed Abdel's hand, shouting his name as she did. Her father pulled them forward as gunfire erupted in full force through the alley. The men from the U.S. military ran in front of them and tried to shield them by returning fire, but the attackers seemed to be coming from all directions. Two more men emerged on either side of Joey and her family and hurried them toward the armored truck.

"Come, Abdel." Joey panted. "We're almost there." She looked down just in time to see another bullet tear through her brother's shoulder and out of his chest. A fait look of surprise crossed his face before he crumpled.

"Abdel…" Joey called, then shouted. "Abdel? ABDEL… NO, ABDEL." She dropped to her knees beside him, attempting to shake him, but a pair of strong hands tried to lift her to her feet. "NO. NO, ABDEL." She clawed helplessly at her brother's lifeless chest.

"Come on!" A voice shouted at her and hauled her away. She put up no more resistance, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

"Abdel, please!" Joey felt herself being unceremoniously shoved into the armored truck. She caught a glimpse of the alley, littered with small bursts of light as rounds were emptied onto the dusty pavement, before one of the soldiers shouted something to the driver and the door was slammed shut.

Joey's eyes flew open. Her chest was heaving and she felt trapped in a cocoon of sheets. She tore them off of her, sweating and shaking all over. It took her a moment before she registered that someone was pounding on her door. Startled, she grabbed her phone off her nightstand.

Two missed calls from Garcia and six from Reid. "Shit."

Joey threw herself out of bed and dressed at lightning speed. Grabbing her go bag, she unbolted the door.

"What happened?" Reid demanded as the door swung open. "I called you like six times."

"Uh, yah…sorry." Joey spit out, still breathless from the nightmare. "My phone must have been on vibrate."

"Come on." Reid motioned for her to follow him. "The rest of the team is almost there."

In the car, Reid wasted no time buckling his seatbelt and throwing the car into drive. Joey said nothing as she pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window, closing her eyes against the headlights of oncoming traffic.

"Hey…" Reid started softly. "Are you okay?" He switched between looking at her and the road in front of him, a crease forming between his brows.

"Yah." Joey sat up straighter in her seat. She hadn't registered what time it was while she was getting dressed. She looked down at her phone. It was just past two in the morning. "Do you know what this case is about?"

"Not much." He replied. "Just that it involves a child abduction. Everyone's meeting at the jet."

The ride to the tarmac was short. When they arrived, Reid and Joey jogged across the blacktop and up the plain, the steps folding up behind them.

"Sorry guys, my fault." Joey said breathlessly as she took her seat and buckled in. Reid followed suit as the jet began to taxi down the runway.

JJ glanced at Joey with concern before shooting Reid a questioning look. He didn't have time to respond, however, as Hotch began. "We don't have any time to waste. We're headed to Billings, Montana where in the past three hours, three boys between the ages of six and seven have been taken from their homes."

Everyone looked up at him in shock. "He's taking a boy every hour?" Prentiss asked, horrified.

Hotch gave a curt nod. "That's what it would seem based on the pattern so far." Joey had never seen him look so serious before.

"But if this UnSub keeps it up, based on how long this flight is, that means…" Morgan began, looking at his watch.

"By the time we arrive, another boy will have been taken." Hotch finished heavily.

Silence followed. Reid and Joey exchanged wide-eyed looks. JJ closed her eyes and exhaled sharply.

Hotch passed out files to everyone. "We need to do as much as we can now so we can hit the ground running when we get there. Garcia." The screens lit up with her face.

"Yes, crime, fighters, I am here for you." She said, though Joey thought it lacked her usual enthusiasm.

"Any updates from the local PD?" Hotch inquired sharply.

"None yet, sir, but they are doing a grid sweep of the whole city, looking for anything or anyone that stands out." Garcia replied instantly.

"This is weird." Reid muttered from next to Joey, already pages-deep into the report.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Well I can already tell this geographic profile is all over the place." Reid flipped back and forth between a couple pages. "I mean, he starts in the southwest part of the city, then an hour later moves to the north east part, then another hour and he moves back to the central west side."

"But I thought geographical profiles didn't always fit with child sex offenders?" Joey offered. "That sometimes it changed because of their preferences?"

"That's true." Reid confirmed. "But they usually still have a general comfort zone. This guy jumps all over the map."

"And these boys don't look alike…" JJ continued, flipping through the file herself. "Usually child sex offenders have a 'type' of victim, but this UnSub crossed racial, cultural, and socioeconomic lines." She looked up. "That's really unusual."

"So maybe he's not a sex offender?" Prentiss offered. "Maybe this is something else?"

"Garcia, have any ransom demands been made?" Morgan asked the tech analyst.

"None so far." Came the response.

"I don't think that's what this is, either." Joey jumped into the conversation. "The only family really wealthy enough to pay a ransom would be the first boy's, Tyler Laurent. His father is a doctor and his mother is an orthodontist." She flipped to the next page. "But the second boy, Michael Smith came from a single-parent household. His dad is the manager of a construction company. And the third boy…" Joey flipped to the next page. "James Philips, comes from divorced parents. Mom is a grade school teacher and dad is the sales manager at an engineering firm. Neither are remarried."

Silence fell as the team all stared down at the report, lost in their own thoughts. Joey closed her eyes and massaged her temples. She was beginning to get a headache again, and she still felt shaky from the nightmare. She barely heard Morgan speak up again as the plane leveled out.

"Okay so we have to look at it from another angle. There's gotta be something in their personal lives that intersect."

Hotch nodded. "Garcia is looking into that now…"

"Excuse me." Joey quietly dismissed herself as she unbuckled and made her way back to the minibar area. She could hear Garcia saying that she'd come up short so far in how the boys' lives connected.

Joey leaned on the counter, looking up into the mirror above the sink. She looked pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks were hollowing out, since she hadn't eaten well in weeks. Whenever she tried, she felt sick to her stomach thinking about Pearce and her father. She held her hands out in front of her slightly to find them shaking still, so she reached forward to turn on the faucet and run cool water over her wrists.

"Hey." Joey jumped and turned to find Morgan standing next to her. She turned off the water. "Everything okay?"

Joey flashed him a tight-lipped smile. "Yah, I just uh…I didn't get a lot of sleep before this."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Joey shook her head. "We don't have time. I mean this case…" She trailed off, observing her teammates pour over their files.

"Yah…" Morgan turned to watch them, too, folding his arms in front of him.

"Three boys in three hours…what are we going to do?" She felt at a loss.

Morgan sighed. "I don't know, but I have a feeling it's going to be a long one."

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Hello guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Again, I appreciate those of you who are reviewing/favoriting/following! I see you and love you! The next update should be soon!


	10. Chapter 10

The jet landed and the team headed straight for the precinct. As they parked and got out of the cars, Joey checked her watch. It was 3:37 a.m. Remembering Hotch's ominous prediction, they headed inside.

Sure enough, they were greeted by a detective with a grim look on his face. "A fourth boy has been reported missing." He skipped all the formalities and cut straight to the chase, walking and talking. "Kyle Williams. Seven years old, his mom just called saying she received a phone call with her son's voice saying only 'mommy' before hanging up. She went to check on Kyle and found his bed empty."

"All the other parents had received a call right before they found their son missing, as well?" Joey asked, recalling something she'd read on the report.

The detective nodded grimly. "That's right. All four phone calls lasted no more than three seconds. We couldn't trace anything. But all the parents confirm that it's their son speaking."

Hotch nodded. He turned to address his team. "Morgan and Prentiss, go to the Williams' house and speak with the parents, and then the Laurent's when you're done there. I'll go to the Philips'. JJ, you and Joey go to the Smith's house. Reid, I want you to stay here and work with Garcia. Try to see if you can pull anything out of the recordings the parents received."

Joey and JJ nodded at each other and headed straight back out the door they came in. They were quiet as they pulled out of the precinct and headed toward the Smith's house. Joey watched as streetlights flew past her window. Morgan was right, it was going to be a long case.

An hour later, most of the team had reassembled at the police station. As Joey and JJ entered the conference room, Joey sought out Reid. "Any more boys missing?" She asked nervously.

Reid shook his head. "None that have been reported."

JJ looked up in surprise. "So he stopped? Why? We were nowhere near catching him, so why stop taking boys?"

Reid shrugged and rubbed a hand over his face.

Hotch entered the room then. "What did you guys find out?"

JJ approached the map Reid had established of the abduction areas. "Michael Smith walked home from school every day, which was three block total." She traced the route the boy usually took with her finger. "But he always walked with friends and his older brother. His parents said he's a shy boy, so he wouldn't talk to strangers if they approached him."

"He also took piano lessons." Joey added. "And we're having Garcia check out the instructor now."

Hotch nodded. "James Phillips' parents didn't have much, but they enrolled him in a private school, and he rode the bus home every day. There was always a babysitter waiting for him at either house when he got home, both check out. I'm having Garcia look at everyone who works at the school." He sighed heavily. "But I doubt she'll find anything."

Morgan and Prentiss appeared at the door. Prentiss shook her head. "Tyler Laurent and Kyle Williams live two completely different lives. None of the parents have noticed the boys acting weird lately or anyone who the boys have mentioned being out of the ordinary."

Hotch took out his phone. "Garcia."

"Yes, sir."

"Have you found anywhere where the boys' lives intersect?" Hotch asked as the rest of the team exchanged apprehensive looks.

"Not yet." Came the disappointing response. "Not even grocery stores or laundry mats. These boys have literally never seen each other before. And I'm still running background checks on everyone from James Phillips' school, but no one strikes out yet."

"Thanks Garcia." Hotch replied, failing to keep the weariness out of his voice.

Joey felt anxious. She was hyper conscious of the quickly passing time. If they didn't find the UnSub soon, it wasn't going to end well for the boys. The team sat around the conference table to observe the files as minute after minute passed in silence. Finally, Reid spoke.

"Guys," He began. "Maybe the four boys are surrogates." Everyone looked at him for an explanation so he continued. "He stopped after four boys, but we were nowhere close to catching him, so why stop? Four is a pretty specific number. And we already know the boys cross racial and socioeconomic lines, and the geographical profile is whack."

"So these boys represent someone, or multiple someones for him." JJ continued, catching on to Reid's trail.

"That makes sense." Morgan agreed. "But that still doesn't explain how he found all four of the boys if their lives don't intersect at all."

The team all fell back into silence as they considered the problem Morgan raised.

Prentiss approached the map with Reid. After a moment of observing, she said, "Maybe the UnSub works two jobs?"

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked, looking up from the reports.

Prentiss indicated on the map. "Tyler Laurent and James Phillips both live relatively close to each other compared to the other two boys. And Kyle Williams and Michael Smith are closer to each other, too. So maybe all four of the boys' lives don't intersect, but maybe two and two of them do?"

JJ, Morgan, and Reid peered at the map thoughtfully while Hotch pulled his phone again to call Garcia.

"Sir, I still haven't finished the background checks on James Phillips' acquaintances and I'm just starting on Tyler Laurent's teachers. I'm working as fast as I can."

"I know, Garcia, but I want you to check something else really fast. We know the four boys don't overlap, but do any of the two overlap? Specifically Tyler and James, and Kyle and Michael in those pairs?"

The team waited with bated breath as Garcia typed away. "Uh…yes!" Everyone exchanged glances as she continued. "It looks like the Laurent's and the Phillips' shopped at the same grocery store…and the Williams and the Smiths visited the same doctor."

"Okay Garica," Prentiss piped up. "Can you check to see if anyone works at both places? Look for a part-time job."

There was more typing. "Okay, okay! A man named Adam Springer works as a stock boy for the grocery store, and he's a janitor in the evenings for the doctor's office. It looks like his house was evicted two weeks ago, and the addresses on his files haven't been updated, but the work addresses have been sent to your phones!"

"Okay, thanks Garcia." Hotch replied. "And let us know if you find anything about his background."

"Wait Garcia!" Joey called before Hotch could hang up. "Look for crimes in the area around thirty or forty years ago that involve four boys."

"Four boys?" Garcia repeated. "That's not much to go off."

"That's all we've got for now." Hotch said. "Let us know what you find. He hung up and the team stood to break up when Detective Riley appeared in the doorway, a somber look on his face.

"A body has been found."

The shock rippled around the room. Morgan closed his eyes in a grimace. JJ and Prentis exchanged horrified looks, as did Reid and Joey. Hotch's face was set. "Take us there."

The team split up into two SUVs. Hotch, JJ, and Joey climbed into one while Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid piled in the other. They made a caravan behind Detective Riley as some local officers followed from the back.

They had barely pulled out of the station when Hotch's phone rang. "You're all patched in." Garcia said as soon as Hotch answered over bluetooth. She launched into what she had found.

"So I looked and I couldn't find any crimes reported in the last fifty years involving four boys in the area, at least none in the age range of the boys who have been kidnapped. But I _did_ find a news report from 1964. Five boys were playing near a river close to Billings. It was January and the river had partially frozen over. One of the boys went out on the ice, but it broke and he fell in."

"What happened?" JJ asked, exchanging dark looks with Hotch and Joey.

"He died." Garcia said sadly. "He got swept away and the other boys couldn't reach him. But here's the thing. The boy didn't die of drowning. In the report, the parents said he was a good swimmer, and it seems like it because he made it pretty far down the river, and there wasn't a lot of water in his lungs. He died of hypothermia."

Joey and JJ exchanged curious looks as Hotch asked "How does Adam Springer relate to this?"

"He was the boy's older brother."

"It's him." Morgan's voice came over the speaker from the other car. "He blames the other boys who were with his brother for the death."

"But they were just little boys." Garcia protested with a sorrowful voice. "It looks like you're headed toward the river where he died."

Joey grimaced and rubbed her temples, trying to banish her headache, as Hotch thanked Garcia and hung up. Joey coughed heavily in the back. The winter weather of Montana was not helping her feel any better. Hotch gave her a look through the rearview mirror, but didn't have a chance to say anything as JJ looked out the window.

"How far out are we?"

Joey glanced out the window, too. The cityscape had disappeared and thick trees dusted with snow flew past them on either side.

Detective Riley finally slowed to a stop several miles outside of Billings. Hotch and Morgan both pulled up behind him and the team emerged from the SUVs. "Who reported the body?" Morgan asked, gazing at the dense forest surrounding them.

"A hunter." Detective Riley replied, leading them away from the road. "He was heading back to his car, there's a storm coming in later today, and he came across it on the river bank."

The team walked up on several local officers already taping off a section of the woods near the river. Joey noticed how similar it looked to Garcia's description of the river the day the Springer boy died. The water near the bank was frozen over, but the center still flowed heartily.

Tyler Laurent's body lay under a tree that was mere feet from the thin ice covering the water. If it weren't for his blue-tinged lips and pale skin, he could have been sleeping. The team stood for a moment, as if too afraid to wake the resting boy, refusing to believe he was dead.

Prentiss was the first to approach. "He's wearing shorts and a t-shirt." She observed soberly.

Reid joined her now that the spell had been broken. "First look says he died from hypothermia. Blue lips, translucent skin, frozen eyelashes." He looked mournfully down at the boy. "It would have been quite peaceful, actually. He would have just drifted off to sleep…"

"He's clothed and positioned like he's asleep." Morgan stated. "Remorse?"

JJ snorted cynically. "I'm sure that will give the parents plenty of comfort. He died peacefully and his killer felt bad about it afterward." Hotch and Joey exchanged a look, but Joey broke it as she leaned over to give another wracking cough.

"It's just past six in the morning." Prentiss stated. "Does that mean he'll keep every boy for six hours? Will we only have another hour before another body shows up?"

"No," Joey pointed at Reid. "How long does it take for hypothermia to set in?"

Reid shrugged. "It's different for every person so—." But Joey cut him off.

"Exactly. He may have planned to keep Tyler for only six hours, but that doesn't mean another hour will pass before the next body shows up. If he's already started to freeze the other boy, we don't have much time."

Hotch shook his head and looked around hopelessly at the desolate area. "This dump site is miles away from the city and any of the abduction sites." A cold wind passed through the trees. "We have no way of finding him."

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I know not a _whole_ lot happened this chapter, but the next update should be coming soon so stay tuned! Thanks for sticking with my first CM fic for so long, and I appreciate all of you Favoriters/Followers/Reviewers immensely!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi dear friends! Sorry for the late update, but this is a long chapter so hopefully it makes up for it! As always, you guys who have been favoriting/following this story mean the world to me and make my day so much brighter. I love reviews so let me know what you think! More to come soon!**

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"No," Morgan shook his head. "It's close. For him, it's all about where his brother died, so he's keeping them close." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Garcia, pull up a satellite map of the area where we are." They all waited for the clicking to stop. "Are there _any_ structures in the area? Sheds, hunting hideouts, cabins, anything."

"Uh…" Garcia clacked on her keyboard for a moment. "There's…a cabin? I think. It looks like a cabin but…it's not on any records and it looks like it hasn't been touched in years."

"Oh yah…" Detective Riley jumped in. "I know that place. Kids use it as a fort in the summer and fall, and sometimes hunters stake out there, but it's falling apart. No one lives there."

Joey locked eyes with Hotch. "That's it. Garcia, where is it in relation to us?"

While Joey gave a heavy cough, Garcia whizzed at her keys. Hotch eyed Joey. "Two miles to your north." Came the reply.

"Thanks Garcia!" Joey called as Morgan hung up, and she and the team sprinted to their cars.

Hotch, JJ, Joey jumped in one, while Prentiss, and Morgan jumped in the other. They followed the detective in his local police car, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Two other police cars followed behind.

All five cars pulled up the narrow, overgrown lane to the cabin and parked. As they did, the front door to the dilapidated cabin opened. "Adam Springer, FBI!" Morgan called as he jumped out of the car.

Adam Springer took one look at Morgan's raised glock and took off running. "HEY!" Prentiss shouted after him. She and Morgan sprinted into the woods to follow him.

"JJ, Joey, check the house!" Hotch called as he followed Morgan and Prentiss.

JJ and Joey carefully ascended the steps to the cabin. The windows were poorly boarded up, but they couldn't see inside. JJ looked back at Joey and waited for the nod of confirmation before kicking the door in.

One after the other, JJ and Joey crossed the threshold, carefully sweeping opposite sides of the three-room cabin. "Clear!" came JJ's call.

"Clear." Joey repeated, lowering her weapon. She leaned on her knees and coughed violently. The cold air was stinging her lungs.

"You okay?" JJ asked, coming into what could be called a living room.

"Yah, hey look at this." Joey pointed to something she'd notice as she had bent over. Where the rug was lying on the old wooden floor, a layer of dust surrounded it, but it looked as though the rug had been lying in a different position. JJ and Joey exchanged a knowing look for a split second before shoving the broken coffee table off the rug and rolling it away.

A square had been cut in the floor and a locked hinged door now replaced it. JJ aimed her gun at the lock but Joey stopped her. "No wait." She warned, thinking what would happen if there was someone under there and they started shooting holes through the floor. "It's frozen so…" Joey took the butt of her gun and slammed it into the lock, effectively breaking it off.

JJ grabbed the handle and Joey knelt down, gun raised. She nodded. JJ swung the door open. Two pairs of terrified eyes stared back up at them. Joey did a quick visual sweep to see they were alone in a small, dark room barely big enough to hold them, but tall enough that the wouldn't be able to get out on their own.

"Hey." She said softly and holstered her gun. She jumped down into the room. The two boys cowered away from her. "Hey, it's okay." She knelt in front of them and recognized them as James Philips and Kyle Williams. "I'm not going to hurt you. JJ, throw down some blankets." Joey called up to her colleague.

Within moments, JJ had returned with a pair of shock blankets from the local police officers and handed them down to Joey.

"Hey, we're going to take you home, alright?" Joey said kindly as she carefully wrapped each of the boys in the blankets. They were in shorts and a t-shirt and their feet were bare. The boys nodded and Joey smiled back at them. "Okay, one, two, three…" she said as she lifted each boy up to JJ's waiting arms. Joey clambered up after them.

She sat heavily on the floor next to the boys and JJ, her breathing labored. She became aware of a rattling in her lungs and wondered if she was imagining it. JJ was rubbing Kyle Williams' shoulders. "Do you know where he took the other boy? Michael Smith?" She asked gently.

Joey heard one of the local police officers enter the cabin behind her. "Outside." James Philips replied simply.

JJ and Joey locked eyes. JJ quickly looked up to the officer, who nodded, indicating she would stay with the boys. JJ and Joey sprung to their feet. "I'll take the front, you take the back." JJ called as they burst through the front door onto the collapsing porch.

Joey ran around the back of the cabin, frantically searching the thick woods. "Michael?" She cried. She heard JJ echoing her calls from somewhere behind her. "Michael Smith?" She shouted again, pressing into the trees. She headed toward the river. "Michael!"

Joey rounded a tree and her heart stopped. A small lean-to was connected to a large tree and through the cracks, she could see the outline of a boy. "Back here, JJ!" Joey screamed. "And bring a blanket!"

Joey crashed through the bushes toward where Michael lay. "We need an ambulance back here NOW." She said into her com line on her vest. Joey reached the lean-to and crawled inside, pulling Michael out with her. He was dressed in only thin pajama pants and a t-shirt. She placed two trembling fingers on his neck, her heart pounding.

Breathing a sigh of huge relief at the faint thump she felt, Joey instantly ripped off her coat and wrapped Michael in it. She felt JJ drop beside her. "Here, hold him." She instructed JJ, who wrapped Michael in the shock blanket over Joey's coat.

Michael's lips were tinged blue and his skin was sheet white. Alternating between each arm and leg, Joey started at the top and quickly rubbed down to the hands and feet, trying to get the blood flow back to each limb. JJ alternated between breathing hot air over Michael's hands and rubbing circles on his chest.

JJ and Joey continued their attempts to warm Michael for what seemed like too long. _Where was the ambulance?_ Joey brought one arm up to cover her mouth as she coughed violently, keeping the other hand rubbing Michael's left arm.

"Joey…" JJ began, throwing Joey a concerned look.

Joey shook her head. "Keep going." She said emphatically, indicating to Michael's chest. Joey was only in jeans and a button-up now, but she didn't feel the cold. The adrenaline had kicked in and she only had eyes for Michael.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots rang through the woods. They sounded distant, but JJ and Joey exchanged a dark look.

Finally, mercifully, the sirens of the ambulance could be heard making their way up the drive. Joey stood. "Come on, they won't be able get him back here."

JJ stood with Michael in her arms, and the two of them hurried him back to the cabin. Two EMTs with a gurney were waiting for them as they rounded the side of the old building. JJ carefully laid Michael down and she and Joey walked and talked the EMTs back to the ambulance.

"We don't know how long he's been out there." Joey began. "We found a pulse and he's breathing, but he's really dehydrated and probably already in shock." The EMTs nodded and loaded the gurney into the back of the ambulance. One of the local police officers climbed in the back and once the doors were shut, it raced off.

As soon as it had, Morgan, Prentiss, and Hotch appeared out of the woods. They appeared unhurt. "Hey," JJ greeted as they approached. "You guys okay?"

"Yah." Hotch nodded once.

"You're going to need a body bag." Morgan said to a passing officer, who nodded and turned to his colleagues.

"What happened here?" Hotch asked, looking around at the cabin.

"We found Kyle Williams and James Philips in a room under the floor." Joey replied, slightly out of breath. They all looked to see the two boys being lead out by the officer that had stayed with them, blankets draped around their shoulders. They watched as she loaded the boys into the back of her squad car, waited for her partner to join her, and drove off, sirens wailing.

"It looks like they're going to be okay." Prentiss sighed in relief. JJ nodded.

"What about Michael Smith?" Hotch pressed.

"We found him out back in a lean-to." Joey replied, putting her hands on her hips, trying to steady her breathing. "He's alive, but in pretty bad shape. They already took him to the hospital…" She leaned away from them and coughed into her arm, her shoulders shaking.

"Whoa, hey." Prentiss grabbed Joey's shoulder. "Are you okay? Where's your coat?" She asked in alarm, glancing down at Joey's shirt.

At Prentiss' touch, Joey pulled away. "With Michael." Joey replied simply.

Prentiss looked as if she wanted to say something more, but Detective Riley approached them. "Nice work, guys. A storm's coming in. If you guys leave now, you can probably beat it and fly back to Quantico tonight."

Hotch nodded. Joey gently stepped further away from Prentiss and headed back to the SUV before anyone could say anything else. She climbed in and waited for the others to follow. As Hotch and JJ climbed into the front, Joey wrapped her arms around her. The adrenaline had worn off and she had begun to shiver violently.

Back at the station, Reid greeted them in the conference room. "What happened?"

"We found Kyle Williams and James Philips, and it looks like they're going to be fine." JJ rattled off. "Michael was outside but alive when we found him. He was taken to the hospital. Adam Springer is dead." She finished bluntly.

"Oh." Reid nodded as the team began to pack everything up. "I'm glad we got the boys, at least."

"We're leaving now. We want to beat the storm." Hotch entered the conference room, joining the others in packing.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked, peering over at Joey.

Joey was standing over her files on the conference table, but she wasn't sure her fingers would work properly. She was still shivering and she couldn't really feel her face. The cold permeated down to her bones.

She felt something cover her shoulders and she looked up to see Morgan draping his coat over her. "Thanks." She smiled appreciatively up at him. Grabbing her bag, she clumsily stuffed her files in and zipped it up with fumbling fingers.

The team was filing out to the elevator when the hallway suddenly starting to swim before Joey. She swayed and dropped her bag. Leaning on the wall, Joey hacked into her arm. She realized she was sweating, but shivers still plagued her body.

"Hey, whoa, Joey." JJ grabbed her arm as the rest of the team turned to see what was wrong. "You're not okay."

Joey stood up straight and pulled out of JJ's grip, waving her off. "I'm fine." Her head was spinning and her legs felt like lead, but Joey knew they had to get back to the jet if they wanted to get home tonight. "Let's go."

"You're not fine." Morgan insisted.

"I am." Joey shot back. "It's just a cough." She leaned over to grab her bag and concentrated very hard on making the hallway stay still. She was sure that the team, like she, could hear her wheeze, but she pushed toward the elevator. "We have to get to the jet if we want to miss the storm." The team all eyed each other, but said nothing as they followed her.

The jet was fueled and ready by the time the team arrived to the tarmac. They quickly parked their cars and grabbed their bags before climbing up the stairs. Joey took the steps one at a time, feeling like she was climbing Everest.

She followed Prentiss into the cabin of the jet. Her breathing was ragged and she hadn't stopped shivering. She felt like the floor beneath her was unstable. Was the jet already taxiing? Joey looked out the window to see, but her head protested and her knees buckled.

"Joey." Reid quickly grabbed her from behind and lowered her into one of the seats. Five faces of concern stared down at her.

"No, no, no." Joey tried to stand, but two pairs of hands pushed her back into the seat.

"Joey, please sit. We're about to take off anyway." Hotch said quietly.

Joey nodded and leaned back into the seat, fastening her seatbelt. She could feel her hair stick to her neck and forehead. She still had Morgan's coat on and she pulled it closer around herself, though she felt no warmer from it.

As the plane gained altitude, Joey pressed her head back into the rest. Dark edges began to creep into her vision. When they finally leveled out, Reid unbuckled and made his way back to the minibar area. JJ unfolded a blanket and tucked it around Joey, then told Morgan to go search for another.

"No, guys…" Joey tried to urge them away, but it came out as barely more than a whisper. She saw Prentiss and Hotch standing, both with crossed arms, staring down at her in concern.

"Hotch, I really think we need to take her to a hospital." Prentiss muttered. Hotch looked like he was contemplating it.

"No, guys, really, I'm fine." Joey tried to say, though she was surprised to find that it came out sounding like a mumbled mess.

Reid reappeared and sat down across from Joey, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of her. Joey attempted a smile at him. "Thanks." She picked the mug up with trembling hands and took a sip, feeling her shoulders physically sag in relief as warmth finally spread in her belly. After a few seconds, though, the mug became too heavy, and she set it back down with a rattle.

"I don't want to go to the hospital." She pleaded.

"Shh." JJ soothed as Morgan returned with another blanket and she spread it across Joey's lap. "Just sleep for now, and we'll see how you feel when we land." Joey nodded and took another sip of tea before leaning back into the seat. She closed her eyes and felt JJ brush Joey's hair out of her face. "There you go." She said and patted her shoulder.

"JJ, thank you." Joey breathed, though she couldn't be sure if she actually muttered those words or if it was only in her head as she let go and sleep overtook her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi lovely readers! I know this chapter is short, but the next one will be longer to make up for it! Thanks to everyone who follows and reviews, and a special thanks to my favorite reviewer who likes to use an anonymous account to tell me how much they dislike my writing ;) (?). To those of you who don't mind that my story is "predictable" and "tedious," I hope you enjoy and I will get the next chapter up soon!**

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A gentle jostling woke Joey sometime later. She opened her eyes as the blankets slipped from her shoulders.

Prentiss looked up at her stirring. "Hi." She smiled warmly. "We just landed. How are you feeling?"

"Better." Joey replied truthfully. She had stopped sweating and shivering, and though she still felt a little lightheaded, her vision was clear.

When the jet finally rolled to a stop, Joey unbuckled and stood. She waved Reid and JJ away. "I'm fine." She insisted. On steady feet, she grabbed her go-bag and descended to the tarmac. Hotch and Morgan approached her, both looking serious.

"I'm staying with you tonight." Morgan didn't phrase it as a question.

"No, Morgan—." Joey began to protest, but Hotch held up a hand.

"Either he stays with you or we take you to a hospital. Tonight." He added with emphasis as Joey opened her mouth again to argue.

"I'm feeling better, really." Joey said firmly. But at Morgan's raised eyebrow and Hotch's crossed arms, she sighed. She was too tired to argue anyway. "Fine, but you're taking the couch." She grumbled and headed toward Morgan's car.

Once inside Joey's apartment, she began pulling out extra pillows and blankets. "You're welcome to anything in the fridge." She began making a bed on the couch. "But please try not to eat your way through my home. I just went grocery shopping." She firmly tucked the edges of the sheet under the cushions. "There are extra blankets in the basket by the armchair. You can watch TV if you want, or I can give you my wifi password, it's up to you—."

"Hey." Morgan cut her off. Joey looked up to see him peering down at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yah, of course." Joey said with false cheer as she fluffed the pillows a bit.

"No," Morgan gently grabbed her wrist, but Joey swiftly pulled back. He stared at her. " _Are you okay?_ " He asked with emphasis this time.

Joey absent-mindedly picked at her sleeve for a moment. "Yes." She finally answered. "No." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know. I just…" she gave a rueful chuckle and shook her head. "I never should have gotten involved."

Morgan looked like he was about to ask something, but Joey continued, the word practically spilling out of her. "I never should have agreed to anything with Pearce. I knew what was happening wasn't legal and I should have said something to you guys sooner, but now I've been involved for so long and I let hime get away with it, and now I went and got you guys involved and you have to deal with my problem now, and it's gonna be this whole big scandal, and the BAU is gonna have its name dragged through it, and it's all my fault and I'm so sorry, okay, I'm so so sorry about everything—."

"Hey, hey." Morgan stopped her. Joey had started to panic, her breath coming erratically, so she took a deep breath.

Morgan reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders. Joey tensed. Morgan knitted his eyebrows together, but let go. "Hey, listen to me. You have nothing to be sorry for." He raised his eyebrows. "Okay? This is not your fault. You were just doing what you had to to protect your father."

Joey nodded and rubbed her brow, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to hide from Morgan the fact that her headache was back and her legs felt shaky. However, her efforts proved meaningless as she was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughs.

"Okay, that's it." Morgan shook his head and grabbed his jacket off the back of the armchair.

Joey waved him down. "No, no, no. Morgan, I'm not going to the hospital. Please I just…I just need to sleep it off."

Morgan eyed her for a moment before consenting. "Fine. But you're going to bed now." Joey considered arguing, as she didn't like being told what to do, but she could tell her body was tired and she didn't think she'd be able to stay awake for much longer.

Morgan opened Joey's bedroom door for her. "And tomorrow morning, if you're not better, you're staying home."

Joey rolled her eyes as she walked past him into her room. "Sure thing. But I will be better in the morning. You'll see." She folded her arms defiantly.

Morgan's expression softened as he looked down at her. "Goodnight Ryan."

Joey gave a small half-smile. "Goodnight Morgan." She gently closed the door behind him and promptly fell into bed.

The next morning, Joey emerged from her room, showered and dressed, to find that Morgan had made himself at home in her kitchen. He had several slices of toast and two travel-mugs full off coffee waiting.

"How are you feeling?" Morgan asked after he had wished her good morning.

"Better, really." Joey replied as she poured creamer into her coffee. Her head wasn't spinning anymore, and she really felt good save for the urge to cough every thirty seconds. "I think my lungs will take longer to recover, but otherwise, I feel really great, honestly."

Morgan watched her carefully as she stirred sugar into her mug, then nodded. "Alright, then lets head in."

Joey and Morgan had barely stepped into the bullpen when Hotch emerged from his office, followed by Prentiss. "Everyone in the conference room, please."

Morgan and Joey dropped their stuff off at their desks before following everyone else up to the round table.

Hotch closed the door once everyone had entered and turned to his expectant team. "We need to figure out our next steps going forward with Chief Pearce." Joey shifted uncomfortably in her seat as everyone nervously glanced between her and Hotch. "We need to get solid evidence." He continued. "Ryan, you said Pearce would leave you notes?"

Joey nodded. "But I destroyed most of them."

"Do you still have the one he left on your car?" Reid asked.

Joey nodded, ignoring the sharp looks from JJ and Morgan.

"And he sends you texts?" Prentiss asked.

Again, Joey nodded. "But he uses different burner phones each time."

"We'll still let Garcia take a look and see if she can pull anything from that." Hotch hesitated. Joey threw him a questioning look. He glanced down at Prentiss, who turned to Joey uncertainly.

"We're not sure that will be enough to incriminate him. We need something more." She paused. Joey didn't say anything, though she had a feeling she knew what was coming. Prentiss briefly glanced up at Hotch for reassurance before dropping the bomb. "We need you to wear a wire."

"What!?" Morgan cried.

"Hotch." JJ protested.

Reid looked up sharply, anxious.

Joey sighed, then nodded.

"What? No, no way." Morgan shook his head.

Hotch folded his arms. "We need something really solid that we know Pearce can't talk his way out of. There has to be absolute truth to the evidence when we hand it over."

"Hotch." JJ protested. "That's way too dangerous. We know Pearce has gotten physical. If he finds out she's wearing a wire…"

"It's okay." Joey said finally. "I'll do it. I think it's a good idea."

Reid and Morgan stared at her incredulously, but Joey determinedly stared at Hotch.

Hotch nodded. "Pearce got back from his business trip yesterday. Do you know yet when your next meeting with him will be?"

Joey looked at her watch. "Twenty minutes."

The entire team stared at her. "…Twenty minutes?" Prentiss asked tentatively.

Joey nodded. "If neither of us are away for work, I'm supposed to meet with him every Tuesday at 10."

Morgan desperately looked to Hotch, as if hoping his boss would protest to the meeting on such short notice. But Hotch merely gave Joey a calculated look before nodding. "Okay."

"This is insane." Morgan threw his hands into the air. "JJ, are you okay with this?"

"I know it's sudden," JJ said slowly. "But the sooner we can get this evidence, the sooner we can turn him in."

Morgan shook his head, but conceded to defeat.

Hotch reached for the door. "Okay. If we're going to get you ready in time, we need to go to Garcia now."

The rest of the team rose and walked past Hotch to head toward Garcia's bat cave. "Hotch, Prentiss." Joey called.

The two designated agents lingered behind.

"There's something else." Joey stood. She chewed her lip nervously. "Pearce needed…back up. He needed extra insurance in case I was able to prove that my father wasn't affiliated with any terrorists, so he has something else." Joey looked at her shoes, humiliated. But if she wanted them to trust her, she had to come out with everything.

"What do you mean?" Prentiss asked, sharing a concerned look with Hotch.

"Pearce has…pictures that he made me take." Joey said to the floor.

"Pictures…?" Hotch repeated.

Joey took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling above Prentiss. "Pictures of me…in his office…I don't know—."

Hotch raised a hand to cut her off. Prentiss was looking at her with a sympathetic gaze. "We'll make sure we find them and destroy them."

Joey sighed in relief and nodded gratefully. Hotch gave a curt nod to both Joey and Prentiss before exiting. Prentiss and Joey followed him out.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello hello! This chapter is a bit longer, but I ended up combining two chapters because alone they would have been pretty short. I hope you guys enjoy! Again, you lovely people who follow my story make my day so much brighter and don't forget, I love reviews! ;)**

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Morgan, Reid, and Hotch waited outside the room while Joey was fitted with her wire. Leaning against Garcia's desk with her shirt unbuttoned, Joey listened to Prentiss give her instructions while JJ gently taped the wire up Joey's stomach.

"We can't give you an ear-piece in case he sees it and bolts, so you'll be going in blind." Joey nodded in understanding. "Try to get him to explicitly state that he's blackmailing you, or that he has something against you and why he's using it," Prentiss continued. "But don't be too obvious. We don't want him to catch on, and more importantly, we don't want you to get hurt."

Joey smirked. "I think you're a bit late on the uptake there."

Garcia inhaled sharply and looked up at Joey from where she was checking the feedback from the microphone.

Joey silently cursed herself. "Sorry, it's just…" she sighed. "Look, there's a really good chance he's going to hit me or grab me or something while I'm in there, so just…just be ready for that, I guess." She finished lamely. Garcia stared at her wide-eyed. Prentiss looked like she wanted to say something, but JJ cut her off.

"Okay, all done." JJ stood and stepped back. Joey buttoned up her shirt and stood with her arms out, letting JJ admire her handiwork. "It looks good." She nodded. "I can't see anything."

She moved to retrieve the men while Prentiss fastened a necklace around Joey's neck. "Remember, don't let him get too close to this, because he might be able to detect the camera, and don't make it too obvious that you're trying to track his movements. Just act normally and hopefully he'll stay within our line of sight."

Joey nodded and fingered the chain nervously while the rest of the team returned. Garcia checked the visual and audio feedback and confirmed that everything was working.

"Now remember, we'll be watching everything, so if anything goes wrong…" Morgan started.

"You'll stay here until I come back." Joey finished firmly. Morgan and Reid looked at her, startled. "You can't interrupt our meeting, or he'll suspect something's up. No matter what happens, you _have_ to stay here. No matter what." She repeated seriously as Morgan opened his mouth to protest.

JJ and Reid looked like they would be highly disobedient to Joey's request, so she gave a slightly pleading look to Hotch, who nodded understandingly. Joey returned his nod and sighed, straightening her collar. "Wish me luck."

Without waiting for a response, she pushed her way out of the bat cave and toward the elevators. When the doors opened on the eighth floor, Joey took another moment to steel herself before striding down the hall to Pearce's office, where she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came the reply.

Joey turned the handle and entered, moving to stand in the middle of the office after closing the door behind her. Pearce leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Ah good, Agent Ryan. I'm glad you received my message."

Joey only nodded. Her hands trembled slightly and she was sure she was already being too obvious.

Pearce gestured to the seat opposite his desk and Joey sat obediently. "I heard your last case was a success? You returned three boys unharmed to their parents." Joey nodded mutely. "I'm glad to hear it. Child abduction cases can be so _nasty_." Pearce finished dramatically with a rather wicked gleam in his eye.

There was a beat. "How did you get into my apartment?" Joey asked, thinking back to what Prentiss had told her.

Pearce cocked his head to the side a few degrees. "You've never asked me before. You're not thinking of locking me out are you?" A sinister smile had crossed his face. Joey gulped and shook her head no. "Good," Pearce leaned forward and stood up. "Besides, I like to know that you'll get my message since you don't always respond to my texts." Pearce came to a stop on the other side of his desk, leaning against it. Only a good foot of space separated Joey from him now. She shrank back in her seat a few inches.

When Joey didn't respond to him, Pearce pressed on. "Thursday night I'm expecting a package. I need you to retrieve it for me."

"What is it?" Joey asked.

Joey held her breath, wondering if she was being too suspicious. Pearce narrowed his eyes at her, and too late Joey realized her mistake. Lightning fast, Pearce lashed out and struck her face. Joey let out a gasp of pain, but quickly clenched her jaw shut. Her eyes watered slightly as pain seared up her cheek and temple. She strained her ears to listen for footsteps outside the door, half expecting Morgan to come bursting in.

Thankfully, the hallway outside was silent as everyone else on the floor was gone at a conference. "I've told you, it doesn't matter what's in the package. What matters is that it gets to me in one piece."

"If I just knew what I was looking for-." Joey started, but Pearce cut her off, speaking briskly.

"I will text you an address when the time comes and when you arrive, you'll know it when you see it." He leaned down close to her and Joey shrank back, afraid Pearce would spot the camera in her necklace, but Pearce grabbed both her wrists instead. "You know that your father will be killed if he gets sent back." Pearce slowly brought one of Joey's wrists up and gently kissed the inside of it.

Joey barely repressed a shudder. Suddenly, Pearce's grip tightened and Joey sucked in her breath. She felt her fingers go numb. "So let's not forget that I have the power to frame him for affiliation with terrorists."

Keeping a tight grip on one wrist, Pearce let go of the other and placed a hand on Joey's knee. He slowly slid his hand up her thigh. Joey stiffened, humiliated, knowing that her team was watching just two floors down.

"I haven't forgotten." She mumbled.

Pearce let his hand linger for a moment longer before releasing Joey. He stood abruptly and returned to his seat behind his desk. "Good, that's all I have for you right now."

Joey nodded and stood, shaking slightly. She quickly walked to the door where Pearce stopped her. "Oh and Agent Ryan," Joey looked up to see him holding up his cell phone. "I'll be watching."Joey didn't bother replying. She opened the door and exited silently.

She was able to keep her composure until she reached the elevators. As the doors slid shut behind her, Joey pummeled the button for floor six. She leaned against the back wall and ran both hands through her hair. She felt like she might throw up.

When the doors finally pinged open, Joey burst into the hallway and sped walked back to the team. As she pushed the door open to Garcia's cave, they all stood.

"Are you okay?" Garcia asked tearfully.

"I'm fine." Joey replied curtly. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but she was determined to appear composed. She unclipped the necklace and handed it back to Prentiss with slightly trembling fingers. A sudden fear flooded Joey as she looked around the tiny room. "Where's Morgan?"

"He left." Reid answered. "He didn't want to watch after Pearce…after he hit you." Reid faltered slightly. "He went back to his desk." Joey sighed in relief.

"Do you think we have enough?" JJ looked to Hotch and Prentiss.

Hotch nodded. "That's definitely something. If we pair it with the texts, calls, and notes, it should be enough to make a case."

Joey nodded, taking it all in. "I should get back to my desk. If I stay here too long, he'll start to ask questions."

They all agreed. Hotch, Reid, and Prentiss filed out while JJ stayed to help take the microphone off. Joey unbuttoned her shirt with some difficulty as her hands were still shaking.

Garcia gently brushed her fingers across Joey's cheek, but Joey jerked her head away. Garcia pulled her hand back. "I'm sorry. Do you want an ice pack or anything?"

"No thanks. Ah-." She gasped as JJ accidentally bumped her still-bruised ribs. JJ apologized hurriedly and handed the microphone to Garcia.

Garcia accepted it while keeping her sad gaze on Joey. "I can't wait for all this to be over."

Joey gave a wry chuckle. "You and me both, Garcia. You and me both."

The rest of the day passed without event. Joey had cast Morgan an apprehensive look as she entered the bullpen, but he gave her a nod of solidarity and she sighed with relief.

Garcia had insisted on having Joey's wrist looked at, as one of them had swelled considerably more than the other and was rapidly turning purple, but Joey adamantly refused. After much bickering between the two, JJ procured a wrist brace as a compromise.

As Joey sat down at her desk, she saw Reid eye her brace, but he said nothing and turned back to his computer.

As evening was drawing near, Joey one by one watched her teammates check out for the day. Prentiss, grumbling about paperwork 'eating away at her soul' was the first to go, followed shortly by JJ, then Reid, who waved goodnight to Joey before leaving.

Finally, night was falling heavily outside, Morgan walked up to Joey's desk. "Come on, kid. I'll take you home."

"But—." Joey protested.

Morgan held up a hand. "This paperwork can wait until tomorrow. Let's call it a night."

Not wanting to bicker with Morgan any more, Joey begrudgingly agreed and packed up her stuff. The two of them waved to Hotch, who was still leaning over his desk, before making their way down to the parking garage.

Morgan and Joey joked and made idle chat as they drove. Joey was glad Morgan wasn't upset that she'd forbade him from intervening during her and Pearce's meeting, and she was feeling like part of the weight had been lifted off her chest. They had recorded Pearce and they were going to report him.

Morgan finally pulled up to the curb in front of Joey's building and unbuckled. "What? Morgan, no. You don't have to stay here tonight." Joey insisted.

"I know." Morgan replied. "But at least let me check your place before I leave you here alone."

"I'm fully capable of taking care of myself—." Joey began rather indignantly.

"I know you are." Morgan held his hands up in surrender. "But it will make me feel better."

Joey hesitated before relenting. "Fine." She unbuckled and lead Morgan up to her apartment.

"I told you everything was fine." Joey said, her hands on her hips. She watched as Morgan, for the fourth time, checked to make sure all the windows were locked. They hadn't found anything in any of the rooms, and it didn't look like anyone had forced their way in.

"Okay…" Morgan sounded unsure.

"Morgan, please." Joey insisted, gently pushing him toward the door. "Everything is fine, you've checked it out yourself. Now let me get to bed and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodnight, kid. Call me if you need anything." Morgan said as he stepped out into the hallway.

"I will." Joey replied honestly. She bade him goodbye before shutting and locking the door after him.

Joey put a pizza in the oven to cook while she took a shower. Once out, dried, and ready with a plate of three slices of pepperoni, Joey climbed into bed where she switched on the TV. Some nature documentary was playing, and as she finished her pizza, Joey let facts about North American otters wash over her as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Joey woke to the sound of her alarm. She switched it off before shoving her face back into her pillow with a groan.

She lifted her head suddenly. Something was off. She had definitely eaten pizza in bed last night…but where was her plate? She looked around her bed to no avail. And hadn't she left the TV on? Joey flipped over to stare at her dresser, and her heart dropped.

The TV was off with the remote neatly tucked underneath it. But what was causing Joey's breathing to quicken was the envelope leaning against the corner of the screen. Joey threw herself out of bed and snatched the envelope. 'Agent Josephine Ryan' was on the front in the same typed lettering as all the others.

Heart hammering, Joey glanced around her room. This definitely wasn't there last night. There's no way she _and_ Morgan could have missed it. Joey dashed to every window, checking and confirming that all of them were still locked. She tried her front door. Also locked.

She spun on the spot and raked a hand through her hair, taking deep breaths. She glanced at her watch and cursed. The bus would be there soon. After quickly changing, Joey grabbed her bag and the envelope, and sprinted out the door.

Joey's eyes darted around the hallway as she stepped off the elevator. She felt jumpy. Her mind had raced the whole ride over to the office. How could Pearce have gotten in last night?

"Good morning Ry—what's wrong?" Morgan started, but changed mid-sentence as he caught the look on Joey's face.

Joey shook her head slightly as a warning and continued on to her desk. Pearce could be watching. She clumsily sat and unpacked her files, reaching to turn on her computer as she did. After a minute or two, Morgan came over and leaned against her desk.

"What's wrong?"

Joey made sure to keep her head down as she spoke. "He was in my apartment last night." As if presenting proof, Joey pulled out the envelop addressed to her.

She looked up to see that Morgan's face had turned cold. "That wasn't there when I checked everything." He protested.

"I know." Joey muttered. "But it was there when I woke up."

Reid had been silently eavesdropping on the conversation from his desk. He now looked back and forth between Joey and Morgan. "What does it say?" he finally asked.

"I don't know." Joey confessed. "I didn't have time to read it this morning."

"Open it." Morgan insisted.

Taking a deep breath, Joey flipped the envelope over and broke the seal. With slightly shaky hands, she pulled out the neatly folded paper, and dropped it when she read the note. She stood abruptly and took a few steps away from her desk, running a hand through her hair.

Morgan and Reid both leaned in to read the message, which simply said 'bring me the tape.'

Joey shook her head. "He knows." She said, barely audible. She didn't want prying ears to tune in to what they were saying.

Reid looked to Morgan, nervous and unsure of what to do. Morgan stared at Joey for a second before grabbing the paper and stuffing it back into the envelope. He handed it to Joey. "Come on."

The two of them calmly walked up to Hotch's office, where JJ was standing talking to their boss. "I don't know, it might have gotten lost between departments…" Hotch mused thoughtfully. He trailed off at the sound of Morgan's knock.

"Sorry, Hotch." Morgan said as he and Joey entered without invitation. Morgan shut the door behind them.

"Pearce knows." Joey breathed when she found Hotch and JJ staring at her expectantly. She placed the envelope on Hotch's desk. "This was on my dresser this morning." Joey stepped back and stared down at her shoes.

"But it wasn't there last night." Morgan shared a significant look with Hotch.

JJ looked horrified. "He was in your room while you were asleep?"

"Pearce left for a business trip this morning." Hotch said with furrowed brows as he pulled the paper out of the envelope. His expression darkened as he read the note.

"I don't think he's on a business trip, Hotch." Morgan shook his head.

"Is your go bag packed?" Hotch asked Joey. She nodded. "Good, you're staying with Prentiss tonight. Don't go back to your apartment until we can find Pearce, though I'm sure he's off the radar by now." Joey nodded while the others exchanged serious glances. "As soon as you leave her tonight, switch your phone off. Garcia will cut all the cameras from the bull pen to the parking garage. We can't take any risks."

That night, Joey rode with Prentiss back to Emily's apartment. "Thanks again for letting me stay here." Joey said for what felt like the hundredth time. It was late, just past midnight, and the two took care to be quiet as they made their way down the hall.

"Oh it's not a problem at all. Besides," Prentiss grinned as she unlocked her door. "Sergio likes the company."

Joey smiled to herself and followed her colleague in. Prentiss lead her to the guest bedroom. "You can stay in here tonight. Hi Serge." She commented as her black cat slinked into the room. "Oh! I forgot," She turned to Joey. "I'm supposed to water my neighbor's plants and feed her cat while she's gone on a business trip. She just left today. Do you mind if I run over really quick?"

Joey smiled and waved her away. "Not at all!"

Prentiss beamed as she backed out. "Okay, it won't take more than five minutes, I promise. Make yourself at home!" She called and a few moments later, Joey heard the front door close.

As it did, Joey felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to reveal a text from Hotch asking if they had made it home okay. Joey was about to reply when she heard a noise in the kitchen.

She paused. "Emily?"

Nothing. Joey felt her pulse begin to race. She was being paranoid, right? Just in case, she slid her phone into her back pocket at slowly reached for her bag. "Sergio?" She called, pulling out her gun.

The black cat blinked at her from the bed. "Sergio, is that you?" Joey called again, trying to sound as casual as possible. Weapon in front of her, Joey inched toward the kitchen. "I hope you're not getting into anything you're not supposed to." She prayed the cat would stay put.

Joey rounded the corner and barely had enough time to register the barrel of a silencer on a pistol before pain exploded in her left shoulder. She cried out, dropping to her hands and knees. Her gun clattered out of her hands and onto the floor. Joey quickly scrambled toward it, but someone kicked it out of reach. "No." She cried. She had to warn Prentiss. "Em—! Ah—." Joey tried calling out but gasped at a sharp pain in her neck. "No…no, no. Emily!" She called, but her voice sounded weak.

Joey's arms and legs suddenly gave out and she felt her face hit the kitchen floor. "No…" she muttered again. She heard the sound of heavy boots coming toward her. Someone reached down and pulled her phone out of her back pocket before she closed her eyes and darkness consumed her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello dear readers! Thank you so so so much to you lovely followers/reviewers. I love you so! Here is the next chapter. It doesn't quite follow Joey, but it was still fun to write, so I hope you guys enjoy! Please R &R!**

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Prentiss pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes as she paced the conference room.

"I should have been there." She said for the fourth time that hour.

Morgan's voice was patient as he looked up from the papers in front of him on the table. "It wasn't your fault, Emily. You were gone for five minutes. He was in and out of your place in less than three."

"Besides." Reid added quietly. "We thought he would have no way of knowing that Joey would be staying with you. We still don't know how he figured it out…" He trailed off, muttering to himself as he flipped through some files.

When Prentiss had returned to her apartment after tending to her neighbor's place, she could immediately tell something was wrong. Perhaps it was the cabinet that had been conspicuously knocked open in the kitchen, or the stillness about the place that told Prentiss she was now alone (save her cat). Instantly, in a panic, she called out for her colleague, searching each room. But Joey was gone.

In a whirlwind, Prentiss snatched her phone and dialed Hotch while grabbing her bag and sprinting back out the door. She was sure she had doubled the speed limit as she drove back to the office to meet Hotch, who had never left. Within twenty minutes, the rest of the team had been assembled.

"She's _gone_!?" Garcia practically screamed as Prentiss relayed what had happened at lightning speed. Morgan's face was stony and Reid looked terrified.

JJ hardly reacted before she stood up and pulled out her phone. Whoever she had called answered despite the hour. "This is Agent Jennifer Jareau with the FBI…" She began briskly as she stepped out of the conference room.

Hotch, who had been in his office until then, appeared. "Garcia. I need you on the computer now. I will go with you to get you started on several searches. Kevin will be joining you shortly." Garcia, rather stunned, nodded mutely and stood to comply. "Morgan, Reid, Prentiss, all of Pearce's old files are in my office. Scour them." He commanded as he followed the tech analyst out.

Morgan strode out wordlessly to retrieve the files. Reid looked up at Prentiss, who looked like she was fighting back tears.

"Emily." He said softly. "This isn't your fault." When Emily shook her head and turned away, he pressed on, rising to move and stand behind her, though keeping a respectful distance. "None of us blame you for this. He eventually would have found her no matter where she was or who she was with."

Prentiss took a deep breath to steel herself before turning and giving the younger agent a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you."

Morgan returned with three boxes of files and they got to work. An hour and a half later, though, and it felt like they had hardly made a dent in the information that sat before them. Prentiss continued her pacing. Suddenly, JJ and Hotch entered.

"JJ and I are about to go coordinate with local law enforcement." Hotch said tersely. "But before we go I want to know what you've found."

He looked into Morgan's defeated face, but it was Reid who spoke. "From what I can tell," He began with knitted brows. "Pearce has been the Unit Chief for four different units of the FBI. Five including ours." He flipped a page.

"So…what? He's climbing to corporate ladder?" Morgan asked.

"He's not really going up, more…around." Reid said, slightly bemused. "Each change wasn't necessarily a promotion or demotion…he essentially desk-hopped."

"That's not that unusual." JJ pointed out.

"Each change happened almost a year apart exactly." Reid continued.

" _That_ is unusual." Prentiss noted. "Unit Chiefs may not often stay for long, but they typically last more than just one year."

Hotch nodded. "Text that to Garcia and tell her to look into it first. JJ." He indicated for the agent to follow him, and the remaining three continued to pour over the files on the table. The minutes crawled into hours and soon dawn was breaking and the first morning light was creeping into the bullpen outside the conference room.

Reid, now on his fourth cup of coffee, had plowed through nearly twice as many files as Prentiss and Morgan combined, and there were only a few left in the last box. Morgan, who had been resting his head on his arms on the table, looked up as the door opened again. JJ and Hotch reentered, looking weary.

"Well?" Prentiss asked, eager for any news.

JJ sighed. "We gave the police pictures of both Ryan and Pearce, and they're going to keep a look out. I'd called them as soon as you told us what happened, Emily, and they'd been doing grid searches through both Emily and Pearce's neighborhoods, and they put road blocks up around the city, but they came up with nothing."

Morgan shook his head. "A guy like Pearce would have a plan to get out before he attacked her."

Reid sighed. "He could be long gone by now."

"Is this even our case? Do we have jurisdiction, or are we supposed to hand this off to Organized Crime?" Morgan asked tentatively.

"I don't care." Hotch answered bluntly. "Has Garcia found anything?"

"I'm not sure—." Prentiss started but was cut off by the sudden appearance of the aforementioned tech analyst.

Garcia was carrying her laptop along with a wary expression. "Guys, I found something you need to see." She sat and the team assembled behind her as she launched into her discovery. "So as you know from the boy genius, Pearce desk-hopped between five different units in the last five years." Garcia began. "But here's the weird thing, each time Pearce left a unit, another employee from the same unit left as well. Usually a week before him."

Morgan and JJ exchanged confused looks. "What do you mean?" Reid asked.

Garcia pulled up some scans of official Bureau files. "In 2012, Pearce was Unit Chief of Organized Crime. In March of that year, he moved from Organized Crime to Counter-Terrorism with a strong letter of recommendation from some higher up. But in the last week of February, one of the agents from Organized Crime handed in her resignation."

"Amanda Lowell. She was only twenty six." Reid muttered, reading ahead of her.

"That's right." Garcia confirmed. "And at first it just looks like she was someone who got in over her head too young. _But_ Amanda passed all of her exams with flying colors and had glowing reports from her supervisors. She was on the fast track to becoming a Bureau superstar."

"I remember her." Morgan mused. "They considered giving her a promotion after only two years."

"Exactly. So I thought it was weird that she would suddenly resign. And of course, as I do, I dug a little deeper." Garcia continued. "And under a very hard-to-break seal, I found a report."

"A report?" Prentiss repeated.

"Yes. A report of sexual and physical harassment that Amanda Lowell made against none other than her Unit Chief Aidan Pearce." Garcia pulled up a file that had various lines of text blacked-out.

"What happened?" JJ asked.

Garcia's face fell slightly. "The report was dropped after a couple weeks. Amanda herself came forward to say that it was all a misunderstanding. A week later, she handed in her resignation. Ten days after that, Pearce moved to Counter-Terrorism."

"Weird…" Prentiss muttered.

"And what's even weirder, and creepier, is that almost the _exact_ same thing happened a year later in Counter-Terrorism." Garcia pulled up more files. In March of 2013, Lauren Bauer filed a report of sexual harassment against Pearce, and again Bauer came forward a few weeks later to say it was a misunderstanding. Two weeks later, she resigned at age twenty four, and a week later, Pearce moved to Cyber Security."

"And I'm guessing something similar happened there, too?" Morgan asked darkly.

"Yes." Garcia shook her head in disbelief. "Taylor Greene reported and dropped a case of sexual and physical harassment against Pearce before resigning. Pearce moved to Weapons of Mass Destruction. A year later, Hannah James filed and dropped _another_ report against Pearce before resigning, and Pearce got shipped to us."

Hotch's expression was stormy. "He's been doing this for years. Garcia, can you pull up pictures of all the agents that left?"

Garcia nodded and clicked a button. The team collectively gasped as all four pictures of the former agents appeared on Garcia's screen.

"They all look like Joey." Reid said unnecessarily.

"Where are they now?" Hotch asked sharply.

"Oh brace yourselves." Garcia sighed. "Amanda Lowell promptly moved to California after she resigned. I left her a message, but it's like five in the morning there, so she might not get back for a while…if she does at all."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked, concerned by the tone of Garcia's voice.

"I'm afraid Amanda is the only hope you have of asking about Pearce." Garica pulled up a few more files. "She moved out there and essentially became a hermit, but she seems to be doing better than the others. The second girl, Lauren, moved to Oklahoma after she resigned. She had a sister there, but a few months later she…she committed suicide. The last two, Taylor Greene and Hannah James resigned and then completely disappeared off the face of the earth. Taylor's phone was on for a week after her resignation, and it pinged off a tower in Maine, but that's the last anyone has heard of her. Hannah simply…vanished."

Prentiss and Hotch shared an ominous look. "Do any of them have any family in the area?"

Garcia typed away for a moment. "Uhh…Lauren's parents live forty minutes away and…Amanda has a brother that lives just outside of D.C."

Hotch nodded. "Prentiss and Morgan, go see Lauren's parents and see what they can tell us. Reid and JJ, go to Amanda's brother. I'll check back in with the local police. Garcia, keep checking into the cases."

The team moved quickly to obey. Time was ticking.

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A couple hours later, arrived back at the Bureau feeling dejected and frustrated. Lauren's parents hadn't been able to give them much. Morgan had driven on the way there to let Prentiss sleep, and she returned the favor on the way back, but both of them were looking worse for the wear. As the ascended to the conference room, they found Reid and JJ already there, and they didn't look much better.

"Any luck?" Morgan asked in greeting.

JJ sighed. "Amanda's brother hasn't heard from her in three years."

Prentiss shook her head. "Lauren's parents couldn't give us anything about where their daughter could have gone. They'd gone to the police about it, but apparently Lauren left a note, so they dismissed it."

"A note?" Hotch asked as he entered the room.

Morgan nodded. "We sent a picture of it to Garcia to analyze. She's going to send Reid a copy so he can study the handwriting."

"Garcia said all four of the agents had phone records similar to Joey's in months leading up to their resignation. A bunch of texts and numbers from a disposable cell."

"Pearce." JJ stated, and Reid nodded.

"I just can't believe he got away with this for five years and no one in the Bureau stopped him." Morgan sighed.

"Oh my God." Prentiss breathed suddenly.

"What is it?" Hotch asked sharply.

"Five years…" She muttered. "Texts and calls…pickups…Reid, Ryan said the men she would pick up were Czech, right?" Reid nodded in confirmation. "I think I know what this is about." Prentiss said. The team looked at her expectantly, so she rushed to explain. "Back at Interpol, I remember another team had been tasked with this gang that was big in the arms dealing ring. They operated out of the Czech Republic, but their leader was exiled, so they started running internationally. They'd had a solid lead until they lost all traces of the gang…five years ago." She finished heavily. "They almost had them in Morocco, but they were tipped off and moved again, and we never picked up their trail."

"So you're saying you think Pearce has been helping these arms dealers for the past five years?" Morgan asked.

"It fits, doesn't it?" Prentiss asked. "He'd be able to provide them cover, and all these mysterious texts and calls? He's having agents of the FBI work as their foot soldiers."

JJ nodded. "These young agents were fresh out of the academy. They'd need someone to look out for them, give them a recommendation, so Pearce took them under his wing just to use and manipulate them. They'd never actually admit to what he was doing because they were afraid they'd get taken down, too, especially if Pearce had something to blackmail all of them with."

Garcia let out a sad noise. "Oh those poor babies probably felt all alone and like they didn't have anyone they could talk to. And now Joey—."

"She's not alone." Reid said firmly, fiercely. "She has us. We will find her. We will."

Hotch regarded him carefully before turning to Garcia. "Check into anything in Pearce's background that has to do with the Czech mob or any arms dealings. Any kind of irregular payments or any unexplained trips."

Garcia nodded and her fingers flew over the keyboard. "Oh!" She exclaimed suddenly. The team looked up. "There have been odd payments in Pearce's account. They didn't come up before because they weren't regular and they often weren't the same amount. Every once in a while, he would get a payment of…no less than a thousand dollars, direct deposit."

"What's it listed as?" Morgan asked.

"Um…a service fee?" Garcia peered closely at the screen. "And if I look into his car's GPS…it looks like a few days _before_ each of those payments…" she trailed off, pulling up two documents side by side. "He made a trip several hours north. Plymouth, Massachusetts." She finished, pulling up a map.

"What's there?" Prentiss asked warily.

"Um…it's a port city." Garcia started typing again. "And it looks like he specifically went to a shipping yard… _oh._ "

"What?" Hotch asked severely.

"We went to a shipping yard that was just shut down because it's under investigation for being involved in the human trafficking ring."

Hotch and Morgan exchanged a look. "If it's involved in one trafficking ring, why not others?" Morgan asked wearily.

"Garcia, did Pearce drive there last night?" Hotch asked.

"I don't know." Garcia answered in a defeated voice. "If he did, he didn't use his own car. It's still parked here."

There was a beat as everyone looked around at each other. "That's all we have to go on right now." Hotch finally said. "Wheels up in thirty." The team practically sprinted out the door. "And Garcia," Hotch turned as they exited the conference room. "Send someone to look at Pearce's car, and _find out how he knew where Ryan was_."

"Yes sir." Garcia said in a slightly trembling voice. "And please…bring her home safely."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here is the next chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy! As always, dearest readers, I greatly appreciate the follows/faves/reviews. Throwing out lots of love to you. Let me know what you guys think! This story is starting to wind down, so thanks for sticking with it for so long!**

 **Warning: Torture scene P.S.-Sorry in advance but y'all should know I love to end on a dramatic note.**

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Joey pulled her head up and slowly blinked several times. Her brain felt like it was rebooting. She looked around her. The room she was in was huge. Metal shelves all around her reached toward the high ceiling, and it smelled damp and musty. Single-bulb lights were hung evenly spaced, but they cast little light into the giant warehouse.

 _Warehouse_? Joey questioned. She couldn't be sure. She blinked several more times, her brain starting to wake up. She tried to remember where she had been before this. She remembered Sergio…so she was at Emily's, and Prentiss had stepped out…when someone was in the kitchen…

Joey's eyes widened and her heart rate increased. She forced her mind to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help anything. She did a physical assessment. Based on her line of sight she was standing.

 _Standing_? Joey looked down to check. Her ankles were bound together and her toes barely brushed the floor. Painfully, Joey dragged her head until she was looking up. Her wrists were bound in chains and she was suspended with a large hook.

 _Right, suspended_. She looked up at the hook again. It looked like something from a fishing boat that would be used with the nets. Were they at a shipping yard? How far had they travelled? More importantly, how long had she been out?

Joey tried to twist her left arm so she could see her watch, but cried out in pain. Black spots appeared at the edge of her vision. She breathed heavily through gritted teeth. _Right, shot in the shoulder._ She made a mental list. She dropped her head down to look and found a pad of gauze with a dark red stain taped to her shoulder under her shirt. Joey snorted. At least he had the decency to patch her up.

Joey closed her eyes and tried to remember anything else. She remembered waking up for a brief moment in the back of a moving vehicle, but there had been a bag over her head, and she'd blacked out again before she could get any sense of direction.

She'd woken up a second time when the arrived to…where ever they were. But once he had seen she was awake, Pearce knocked her out again with the butt of his gun…

 _Pearce_. Joey reminded herself. He was the reason she was here. He was also the reason for her pounding headache, apparently. Though she was probably also dehydrated. And based on her churning stomach and sore, raw throat, she had probably thrown up sometime along the way, too.

Joey glanced around again. Through a long, narrow window on one wall of the building, she could see the night sky, so she guessed she had been there at least 24 hours, though maybe more. She tried to turn to head to see what was behind her, but it pulled painfully on her shoulders, so she conceded to staring at the shelves in front of her. They were covered in mostly industrial items: large tools, boxes of scrap metal. Joey tried to wrack her brain, thinking if there was anything like this close to Quantico.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal scraping concrete, then again, before the sound of footsteps echoed around the shelves.

The dim lighting cast harsh shadows on Pearce's face as he appeared before Joey, emerging through the looming towers around them. His face split into a wicked smile. "You're awake."

Joey said nothing as she glared at him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of engaging in conversation, and she certainly wouldn't beg.

Pearce stepped forward until he was inches from Joey. He looked at her lips. "I bet you're wondering why you're here." Again Joey said nothing.

Like a viper, Pearce's hand connected with Joey's face at maximum speed. She inhaled sharply, blinking in surprise, but merely rolled her head back to stare defiantly into Pearce's eyes.

Pearce took a loose strand of hair and gently tucked it behind Joey's ear. He stroked the side of her face. "Where's the tape?"

Joey gritted her teeth and remained silent. Pearce struck the other side of her face. Joey felt her lip split and tasted blood. Her head was swimming and there was a fierce pounding at her temples.

Pearce stepped back and put his hands on his hips. "Did you think I was stupid? Did you think I wouldn't find out that you had recorded me?" He folded his arms across his chest. "I know you and your team have a tape of me and you in my office. And you're going to tell me where it is." He sneered.

Joey said nothing but continued to try and burn holes in his face with her eyes.

Pearce sighed and stepped out of sight behind Joey. For a moment she panicked, waiting for another blow, but she felt herself be lowered suddenly until she was on her knees. When Pearce reemerged in front of her, he had a bucket and rag with him. Joey eyed the the objects apprehensively.

"You know," Pearce began casually, as if he were having this conversation with a friend over drinks. "I always thought there was an art to torture." He dipped the rag in the bucket and brought it up, ringing it out. "But I always thought it was something you learned when you were young." He smiled at Joey benignly. "Better late than never, I suppose."

Without warning, Pearce covered Joey's face with the damp rag. Joey barely had time to register what was happening before Pearce yanked her head back by her hair and gallons of ice cold water were being poured over her face.

Joey gasped and her lungs were filled. She tried to cough or breathe, but was met with only more water. When her body finally started to override her mind and she began to panic, the water stopped and the rag was torn away from her face. Leaning over, Joey coughed and heaved. Darkness was creeping into her vision, and her esophagus was burning as her lungs and stomach tried to force the water back up her throat. She finally took deep, rattling breaths.

Pearce grabbed the back of her neck. "Are you going to tell me?" Joey clenched her jaw and glared at him through her dripping hair. Pearce sighed dramatically, as if this was paining him, and forced her head back again.

Three more times Pearce waterboarded Joey, each time she wretched more violently. She was sure the next time blood would come back up with the water. Her lungs were screaming protests as they hadn't quite recovered from their case in Montana. But the warehouse had begun to sway around her. She blinked water out of her eyelashes, acutely aware of the sound of her own ragged breathing. She turned her head slightly as Pearce said something, but it sounded very far away. Before she could respond, her head dropped to her chest and she slipped into oblivion.

When Joey came to again, Pearce was waiting for her. She figured she couldn't have been out for too long because the bucket was still there, though off to the side, and her hair was still damp on her face.

Pearce was grinning down at her. "Welcome back." He came forward and knelt down inches from her face. "Are you ready to tell me where the tape is?"

Joey pointedly shut her mouth and glared at him. The truth was, she couldn't tell him if she wanted. She had no idea what Garcia had done with the tape. But even if she did, there was no chance in hell she was going to let Pearce break her. He'd have to kill her first.

Pearce sighed and shook his head before standing and disappearing from sight. Before Joey understood what was happening, she felt a tug at her arms and moaned through gritted teeth as she was pulled back up to being suspended just above the ground. She felt the gauze over her shoulder become damp again as the wound reopened. While Pearce adjusted the hook, the chains around Joey's wrists jangled. She nearly screamed in pain and her vision became blurry again. Vaguely, she recalled that one of her wrists had been in a brace the last time she was at work.

Joey was taking deep, labored breaths through her nose when Pearce came around to her again. "You know." He said, reaching up to Joey's collar. She tried to jerk away, but relented as her shoulder protested. "It's only going to get worse from here."

Pearce slowly unbuttoned Joey's shirt until her bare stomach was exposed. She began to shiver as the icy water dried on her body. "I need you to tell me where the tape is." Pearce said calmly. At Joey's silence, he pulled out what looked like the leather whips jockeys used on their horses. "Come on now."

Joey merely swallowed, though the whip admittedly made her nervous. Pearce swung his arm back, then forward at full force, whipping Joey across her stomach. She let out a grunt of pain. Her stomach started to churn. Willing herself not to vomit, she dragged her gaze back up to Pearce's.

He locked eyes with her and something seemed to snap. Maybe he realized that he really wasn't getting answers from Joey, or maybe he was tired of waiting, but he began to whip, again and again, as Joey tried to reel back in pain.

Angry red welts began to form across her abdomen. After the sixth or seventh lash, Pearce drew blood. Joey hissed through clenched teeth as her skin split and trails of blood snaked down her stomach.

Finally, Pearce stopped, chest heaving. He stared at her with only insanity.

Rolling her head slightly to the side, Joey looked out the window. She could see the first rays of sunlight appear through the dusty panes. The pounding was back in her ears and her head felt heavy. Her eyes were getting very tired. Distantly, she thought she heard the sound of metal scraping concrete. She looked back around, but Pearce was still standing in front of her, breathing angrily through his nose.

"Fine." He feigned calm. "If that won't work…" Pearce threw the whip on the ground and pulled a large knife from seemingly nowhere. "Maybe this will." Pearce started to advance quickly.

" _Aidan Pearce_!" A man's voice rang through the warehouse.

Joey blinked blearily. She knew that voice… People were shouting now, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Joey faintly registered that she couldn't feel her hands anymore and wondered if that was normal.

Three loud gunshots made her jump, then wince as a sharp pain seared through her shoulder again. The sound of running feet came near and Joey tried to move away. "No…" she moaned.

"Hotch, over here!" A second voice cried out.

She registered movement by her ankles and suddenly felt her feet swing free. To her surprise, she realized she was slowly being lowered. _Pearce is taking me somewhere else_. Joey thought to herself. Someone was pulling at the chains around her wrists.

"Hey…" A pair of strong hands grabbed her as her arms fell free, and Joey tried to push away. "Hey, hey…" The hands held on, thankfully, because as soon as Joey had taken a step, her knees buckled beneath her.

"No, no, no." She protested, fighting someone.

"Hey, hey, hey…it's me." The pair of arms she had been wrestling held her still. She recognized that voice…

Joey looked up into the concerned face of Morgan. "Morgan…" she said, her brain was becoming foggy. "Morgan." She repeated with a dopey smile. She practically laughed out of relief. "It's you…" she tried to stand back from him, but her legs gave out again.

"Joey!" Morgan caught her against his chest.

"Morgan, she's lost a lot of blood." A second voice sounded from very nearby. Joey turned. "We need an ambulance back here now!" Reid shouted to his vest.

"Spencer…" Joey smiled again, then laughed. She couldn't believe it. They'd found her.

Morgan, still supporting Joey, made a hushing noise as Reid pulled a rag from off one of the shelves. He peeled the old gauze off Joey's shoulder before pressing the folded rag against it firmly. She let out a faint cry of pain. "I know, I know, I'm sorry." Reid muttered apologetically.

"Spencer…Imsogladseeyou…" Joey mumbled. Was she slurring her words?

"Shh, don't say anything now." Reid said. There was a note of fear in his voice. "Morgan, we have to get her out of here."

Joey felt her eyes begin to droop. She was so tired, and she wondered if Reid would let her sleep.

As if in response, Reid held Joey's face. "No, hey, Joey. I need you to look at me, okay? Keep your eyes open for me." He looked up. "Morgan…"

Dizzyingly, Joey felt her legs being swooped up as Morgan picked Joey off the ground and carried her hurriedly through the maze of industrial shelves and out of the warehouse.

As Morgan stepped outside, Joey felt the warm morning sun on her face. She smiled faintly. It was quite peaceful actually. If she just closed her eyes…

"Hey Joey." Reid's voice was near again, too loud. He placed a hand on her cheek. "You have to keep your eyes open okay?"

Joey blinked blearily as she felt herself get laid down on something firm. She suddenly felt a strap being tightened around her ankles and legs and she tried to sit up, protesting. "No, no…"

A new pair of hands delicately grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down. Joey looked up. "Emily…" She breathed. She grabbed Prentiss' hand. "Emily..." Why was she crying?

"Stay awake, okay?" Emily said tearfully.

Joey didn't reply but looked around. "Hotch…JJ…" She could see them huddled together a few feet away receiving a report from Morgan. She didn't like the scared looks they had on their faces.

As a final strap was tightened over her chest, the gurney began to move and someone tried to fit an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Joey tried swatting them away. "Spencer?" She called. Where had he gone? Her throat was raw, but Joey began shouting "Reid? Reid!?" She started clawing at the straps until Reid suddenly appeared next to her.

"I'm here." He said, touching her shoulder.

"Reid…"

Reid looked up at someone, then back down at Joey. "I'm coming with you." He said, grabbing her hand.

Joey sighed and leaned back as they wheeled her to the ambulance. They loaded her in, and Reid climbed in after her. The doors slammed shut and the vehicle began to move. Joey watched curiously as the EMTs began sticking her with needles she wasn't able to feel. The jostle of the ambulance as it flew down the highway was oddly consoling…

Joey's eyes began to drift shut. "No, hey." Reid sounded desperate as he leaned in close. He grabbed Joey's hand. "Joey, don't fall asleep, okay? You have to stay awake. You have to keep your eyes open."

Joey nodded, then shook her head. "Yes, please, Joey, please stay awake." Reid pleaded.

Joey felt a tear slip down her cheek. "I'm so tired." She whispered.

"I know. I know you are, but you have to stay awake just a little bit longer." Reid implored, his voice breaking. "Just a little bit longer and then you can sleep."

Joey shook her head. Reid didn't understand. She just needed to rest for a little bit. If she could just sleep for a little while, it would all be alright…

Joey's eyes fluttered. "No…Joey!" Reid looked panicked as the EMTs pushed him back and leaned over her. Joey's eyelids felt like they each weighed a ton. She caught one last glimpse of Reid's terrified face before her eyes slid shut and she slipped into blissful sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey, Hi, Hello. New chapter for you here. I sincerely hope you enjoy. GUYS this story is almost over. There are only a couple chapters left (aww) but I've enjoyed this so much. Thank you to all you lovely readers who have stuck with this so far. Your reviews are so encouraging! You are all amazing!**

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"Josephine Ryan?" The entire team stood as the doctor emerged through the double doors, calling out Joey's name.

"How is she?" Prentiss asked without waiting.

The doctor grimaced. "She was pretty banged up when she arrived, but she's going to be fine." The team let out a collective sigh of relief as the doctor continued. "Keeping the bullet in her shoulder actually minimized blood flow, so she was pretty fortunate. She may never regain full range of motion in that shoulder, but with physical therapy, she should be able to use it normally again within a couple of months. A few of the lacerations on her abdomen needed stitches, but overall none of them were deep enough to do any real damage, however, it would have been incredibly painful. There was…" The doctor paused.

"What is it?" Morgan pressed.

The doctor gave them all an uneasy look before speaking again. "There was water in her lungs. Not a whole lot, but it was definitely there."

JJ closed her eyes in a grimace and Morgan clenched a fist at his side while Reid cast a nervous glance around his team.

"The most concerning thing for us right now is the fact that she's very dehydrated and she has the early signs of bronchitis."

"When can we see her?" Reid asked softly.

"Now, if you'd like. _But_ ," He called as they all moved toward the doors. "There's a chance she won't wake up for a few days. We gave her a sedative, but her body needs to recover. Once the sedative wears off, she'll wake up on her own time, but it might be a while. Agent Hotchner…" The doctor called to the team leader, who stayed behind as the rest of his team filed to Joey's room. "I look forward to the day when I no longer have to see your team huddled in my waiting room." The doctor sighed.

"You might want to look into early retirement, then." Hotch remarked without a trace of a smile.

The doctor's lips, however, twitched slightly before he became serious again. "Look, Agent, I wanted to ask you…do you know if Agent Ryan has been having any trouble at home lately? Maybe with a partner?"

"Why do you ask?" Hotch inquired sharply.

"Once we got Agent Ryan stitched up where she needed to be and removed the bullet, we took x-rays all over, just to be safe. It looked like there were at least a few injuries that she's sustained in the past that never quite healed correctly. Normally, I'd chalk it up as an occupational hazard, but I also know you guys require your Agents to be physically competent to be out in the field, and these injuries would have left her almost unable to work."

"What kind of injuries?" Came Hotch's response.

The doctor looked down at his file. "At least one broken wrist, probably a cracked rib or two, and it looks a sprained ankle based on the tissue build-up."

Hotch dropped his gaze as he thought back to several weeks ago when Joey had arrived at the round table with a slight limp and, when asked what she'd done, laughed at how she'd fallen down the steps outside her apartment building that morning.

The doctor wasn't done yet. "Agent, there were also signs of sexual abuse." Hotch looked up sharply, urging him to continue. "When she first came in, Agent Ryan…woke up as we were prepping her for surgery. As you can imagine, she was very disoriented and distressed, but when one of our male nurses went to try and calm her down, he grabbed her arm and she… _reacted_ to him. I don't want to imply anything or jump to any conclusions," the doctor insisted. "But it is something we look out for."

Hotch regarded the doctor for a moment, though he didn't quite seem to be focusing on him. Finally, he nodded once. "Thank you for telling me this." He said, ignoring the doctor's original question.

The doctor understood his dismissal and grabbed Hotch's shoulder bracingly before turning and pushing back through the double doors. Hotch took a moment to collect his thoughts and himself before following.

* * *

The first thing Joey was conscious of was that she was restrained. Her heart jumped for a moment before she realized the restraint was coming from a sheet that had been tightly and expertly tucked into the corners and sides of the bed she was lying in. Then she heard the beeping.

Joey opened her eyes as memories of Pearce and the warehouse came back to her. Before her mind could get too far, though, she became aware that she was not alone. She blinked slowly at Prentiss who was occupying the armchair to the right of Joey's bed. In one hand, she held her head, in the other, her phone.

Joey rolled her head to the other side as she felt that there was a weight on the edge of her bed. Reid, with his arms folded as a pillow, was laying his head on the left side of Joey's bed, his face toward the door.

With great effort, Joey raised her hand and gently touched Reid's arm. "Reid." She croaked.

Reid jumped slightly at her touch, and whipped his head up and around. Prentiss snapped her gaze up to Joey. "Hey." Reid said gently with a soft smile.

Joey grinned back, closing her eyes bracingly. "How do I look?"

"A little rough around the edges." Reid responded playfully with a small grin.

"Yah well…I do feel like shit." Joey chuckled ruefully. She opened her eyes as Reid stood.

"I'll go look for the others and a nurse." He quietly pushed his way out of the room.

Prentiss leaned close to the bed and took Joey's hand, being mindful of the IV. "Joey." She said to the blanket. "Do you remember what happened?"

Joey nodded, but stopped as her head protested. "Yah." She said in a hoarse whisper. An image of Pearce wielding a whip flashed across her mind. She felt Prentiss squeeze her hand gently, and Joey reciprocated it. "Hey, Emily." Her voice sounded horrible, but she ignored the scratching in her throat. "Emily…This wasn't your fault. _I don't blame you_." Joey insisted, squeezing Prentiss' hand again. "Okay?"

Prentiss nodded and wiped away a stray tear that had leaked down her cheek and smiled briefly. "I know, I just…I'm just so glad you're okay."

Joey returned the smile. "Me too."

The both looked up as the door opened and a pretty young nurse entered, followed by the rest of the team.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked sweetly as she glided to the beeping machines.

"Like someone threw me through a wood chipper." Joey replied with a wry grin. The stitches on her stomach were starting to itch and sting.

The nurse beamed down at her. "Well, you can take something else for the pain in an hour. For now, you have a morphine drip. Do you need anything else?"

"An extra blanket maybe?" Joey asked, shivering slightly. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was wearing just a hospital gown as the whole team looked down at her while they stood back to let the nurse drape another blanket over her. Joey closed her eyes and the memory of Pearce tucking a strand of hair behind her ear came flooding back to her, making her shiver again.

"Let me know if you need anything else!" The nurse chirped as she floated out of the room, Hotch thanking her as she departed.

Garcia, who had flown out as soon as she heard that Joey had been found, rushed quickly to the side of the bed, but was gentle as she grasped Joey's hand. "Oh thank goodness you're okay."

Another image of Pearce, this time pouring water over Joey's covered mouth, crossed her mind's eye. Joey smiled weakly into the tech analyst's watery eyes. "I'm so glad to see you, Garcia."

"How are you doing? Really?" Garcia peered at Joey's face.

"I'm fine. Really." Joey replied, dropping her gaze and gently pulling her hand out of Garcia's. "Just a little banged up. How long was I out?"

"Just over two days." Reid replied. Joey's eyes widened before she nodded slowly, digesting the information. "How did he find me?" Joey asked after a moment of silence.

The team all exchanged uneasy looks, but it was Garcia who finally spoke. "Well, once we recovered Pearce's phones, all _four_ of them, we were able to access some locked files on his computer. He…" She paused. "He had planted microscopic cameras in the cars of everyone on the team."

"He had been watching us for weeks." Hotch added.

"All of us." JJ repeated bitterly. Joey felt a surge of guilt run through her. _Pearce had been watching them all? Because of her?_

Hotch's phone rang suddenly, and he stepped out to take it.

"You really had us worried, kid." Morgan grinned playfully.

Another wave of guilt crashed over Joey. She looked around at her team. Prentiss was stifling a yawn. Garcia, though cheerful as always, looked like she was still in the clothes she was wearing the last time Joey saw her. JJ's usual shiny, healthy hair now lay limp against her shoulders, and she was holding what was probably her third cup of coffee. Morgan had an overall haggard look about him, and the usual circles under Reid's eyes looked like bruises now.

"I know, I'm sorry." Joey mumbled to her blankets.

Morgan continued, not seeming to have heard Joey's apology. "But the doctor said you'll be just fine. Hopefully they'll be able to transfer you to the hospital in Quantico in a few days. Once you get the stitches out in a few weeks, you'll start physical therapy back at the bureau. You'll be back in the field before you know it."

"Back…in the field?" Joey asked hesitantly.

"Yah." Morgan answered with a furrowed brow. "Unless, of course, you want to transfer to a desk job…I'm sure we can talk to Hotch about it—."

Joey held up a hand to stop Morgan. "You mean…I'm not fired?"

Everyone in the room looked around at Joey in surprise. "Fired? Joey, why would we fire you?" Prentiss asked in shock.

Joey, in turn, was shocked at their confusion. "I mean…I aided in whatever Pearce was up to with a Czech mob, I made you guys fly out to wherever we are,"

"Plymouth, Massachusetts." Reid interjected helpfully.

"And now all this…" Joey gestured to all the tubes and wires that were attached to her. "All these medical bills. If I had just…if I had just told Pearce _no_ , put up more of a fight…" Joey's voice broke and she became angry with herself. She hadn't fully cried once throughout this whole ordeal, and now was not the time to start. She took a deep breath, but Morgan cut her off.

"Ryan…what happened, this wasn't your fault. Pearce was blackmailing you and threatening your father's life. You couldn't have said no." He replied softly. "As for the Bureau getting billed for all this, I think they'll consider it a small price to pay considering you helped expose a corrupt agent who was helping international arms dealers."

"If anything," JJ added with a small grin. "You deserve a promotion."

Joey attempted a smile, but was spared giving an answer by the return of Hotch. Joey felt her heart jump to her throat at the look on his face.

"What is it?" Reid asked tentatively.

Hotch pocketed his phone before speaking. Joey had the impression he was trying to figure out how to say something difficult. "Pearce has escaped custody."

Garcia gasped. Prentiss looked angry. "What? _How_?"

Hotch's mouth was a thin line. "He was being transferred from state to federal prison when he overpowered the two officers with him in a blitz attack. The car was found in a ditch. The two officers were alive but unconscious."

"How far was it from here?" JJ asked knowingly.

Hotch hesitated. "Four miles."

Morgan closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Reid dropped his worried gaze to his knees. Joey rubbed an IV-injected hand over her sore eyes. Her head was starting to hurt and she wished she could go back to sleep and pretend this was all a bad dream.

"Ryan, we've contacted your father, but it's early so we're waiting for his response. We're going to try to fly him to Quantico and take him into protective custody." Joey nodded her thanks, feeling a surge of gratitude toward her team leader. "For now, one of us will be in or right outside this room at all times. Until Pearce is caught, you'll be heavily guarded."

Joey nodded again, yawning. Her eyes were starting to droop. Hotch took notice and nodded to her. "We'll let you get some sleep." He said softly. "We can talk more when you wake up."

Morgan, JJ, Reid, and Prentiss rose to follow. The young nurse from earlier breezed back into the room to adjust something pumping through one of the numerous tubes connected to Joey.

Garcia took Reid's spot in the chair by the bed and patted Joey's hand consolingly. "One of us will be here when you wake up. Sweet dreams, angel."

Joey gave her a half smile before rolling her head to the other side and drifting off once more.

Some time later, Joey woke. She guessed it was nighttime considering the room was dark. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Vaguely, she wondered what had pulled her out of sleep.

She raised her head off her pillows slightly to see if one of her teammates was in the room with her. While her eyes were adjusting, Joey gazed around in the general direction where she thought Garcia had been sitting earlier. "Garcia?" She softly called into the darkness.

Finally, by the faint lights of the machines she was attached to, Joey was able to make out figures. The chair was empty. Feeling a little disappointed, Joey dropped her gaze to the floor near the chair…where she made out a dark mass on the floor.

She panicked. "Reid?" She asked as her eyes strained to make out a pair of converse and a tweed jacket. He wasn't moving. " _Reid_?" Joey pushed herself up onto her elbows, wincing at the soreness in her shoulder. "Reid, oh my God." Joey fumbled over all the wires and tubes she was attached to as she reached for the nurse call button.

Suddenly a light flicked on in the corner by the armchair and Joey froze. Her blood turned to ice as someone spoke with a sickly sweet voice. "Now now, Agent Ryan, you don't want to wake him."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: GUYS. I am so unbelievably sorry for this very sudden and unexplained hiatus. This semester got really busy and then I left the country, but there really is no excuse. For those of you who have stuck with this despite my absence, I thank you so very much. I still see you and appreciate you immensely. Now, I know this chapter might be a bit shorter, but we're winding down now, and the next upload will probably be the epilogue. Again, so sorry for the lengthy absence. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and _pretty please_ let me know what you think!**

* * *

Joey's breath was caught in her throat. Her heart raced as she made the split decision to look to Reid first. There was a small trickle of blood running down his temple, but Joey could make out the faint rise and fall of his chest. Feeling relief flood through her, Joey turned to Chief Pearce sitting in the armchair, his hands folded on his stomach. A wicked grin was spread across his face.

"Good morning."

"What are you doing here." Joey spat. It was more of a challenge than a question.

"Well, I've come to collect what is mine." Pearce replied conversationally. He slowly stood and Joey felt herself draw back slightly, apprehensive of what he would do.

"The recordings aren't here. I don't know where they are." Joey said hastily, casting another glance toward Reid's motionless figure.

"That's not what I meant." Pearce answered with a smile. He reached toward the window ledge where a neatly folded pile of clothes waited. He dropped them on the end of Joey's bed. "Get dressed." He ordered, his voice suddenly sharp.

Joey stared blankly. There was no way Pearce thought he was getting her out of there without drawing attention. "What about the guards outside my door?"

Pearce grinned. "Funny how quickly they moved once they got word that someone fitting my description was seen in the parking garage. Must be rookies since they both left without backup."

"My team gave your photo to the nursing staff and doctors. They know what you look like." Joey replied, feeling the anxiety well up in her again.

"The staff just switched rotation. New nurses. They haven't gotten the memo yet." Pearce nudged the clothes. "Now, get dressed. Time's wasting."

Still Joey didn't move. Her mind was racing. She had to find some way to alert someone that Pearce was here. She glanced toward the nurse call button, wondering if she could get to it and push it without Pearce noticing.

As if reading her mind, Pearce moved to stand over Reid's limp body. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear." He reached behind him and pulled out a hand gun with a silencer on the barrel. "Get dressed. _Now_."

Joey held up both of her hands in surrender. "Okay…. Okay." Carefully, she untaped the needle in her hand and pulled the IV out before taking off the hear rate monitor. She leaned forward with a grimace and pulled the pile of clothes toward her. "Are you going to give me some privacy?"

Pearce smirked. "I don't think so."

Cheeks burning, Joey self-consciously untied the hospital gown and tried to get dressed while keeping herself as covered as possible. It was a slow and difficult process, as putting a bra on and pulling a shirt over her wounded shoulder shot sudden spikes of pain through her chest and arm. She kept glancing toward Reid to make sure he was at least still breathing.

Once she was fully dressed, Joey swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood. The room tilted, but she clutched the IV drip stand to keep her balance.

"Good." Pearce tucked his gun into his waistband behind his back. "Now…" He reached down toward Reid and Joey instinctively lurched forward. Pearce held up a hand. "Easy now." Joey watched as Pearce hauled Reid up into the armchair, arranging him so that it looked as if he were sleeping.

Pearce then moved toward Joey. She shrunk away as he came close. Pearce grabbed her upper left arm and Joey hissed in pain. "We are going to walk out of this room and to the elevator down the hall." Pearce breathed into her ear. "And if you so much as try to indicate that something is wrong, I will shoot everyone in the nurses station before anyone can reach the phone. Is that understood?"

Joey nodded, her hands shaking slightly. She said nothing as Pearce began to pull her toward the door. She was thinking fast. If she could just get Pearce out of the hospital, maybe she could make a run for it. _Not very likely, in this state_. Joey thought to herself. Maybe there would be someone outside that would notice something, or maybe one of the new nurses would recognize her from before and alert Hotch.

Pearce silently shut the door behind them and guided Joey toward the elevator. She was certain that while they waited for the elevator to arrive, someone would notice she was missing. However, no one passed by, and it was only as the elevator doors were sliding shut that Joey saw one of the nurses from the station lean over the counter and give them a curious look. Pearce's hand instantly tightened around Joey's arm, so Joey threw the nurse a nervous smile before dropping her gaze to her feet.

Joey's arms and legs felt heavy, and the dropping of the elevator made her stumble. Pearce righted her, making Joey flinch in pain again. "Once we get outside, if you make a run for it, I'll be sure that the good doctor upstairs is well taken-care of, if you understand me."

Joey nodded. "I won't run."

She was expecting they would be headed for the parking garage, but Joey was surprised when the elevator doors slid open in the main lobby. As it was still early morning, the lobby was mostly empty. Pearce steered her toward the front door and out into an open-air parking lot. _So he can run, himself_. Joey realized. _If somehow the team gets tipped off, it would be easier for Pearce to make a run for it out here than in a parking garage._

Joey tried to look around, but there were no sirens or flashing lights approaching, only the morning sun glinting on the roofs of cars as it peeked over the neighboring building. She was starting to have trouble breathing again, and the pain was coming back in full force now that she was disconnected from the morphine.

Pearce was pulling her through rows of cars, avoiding the main aisles whenever possible. Joey tried to slow down at one point as she was overcome by a fit of coughs, but Pearce yanked her back to his side. Joey felt stitches on her stomach tear open, and a warm trickle of blood run down the inside of her shirt.

"Pearce." She protested, but he kept going.

Pearce finally stopped in front of a seemingly random car. Joey slumped against its side, holding her wounded arm close to her. She needed to stall, but her mind wasn't up to speed.

"Why are you doing this?" Joey mumbled.

"You know why. You're a loose end, and I need to tie you up." Pearce pulled a long thin metal piece out of his jacket and started to jimmy it under the driver's side window of the car.

Joey shuddered at his response. "Why me, though? All of this, why me?"

Pearce smirked. "Honey, don't take it personally. You weren't special. You were just a means to an end. Expendable. You were just another unimportant, eager young agent trying to prove that she was worth something in the Bureau."

Joey dropped her gaze to her shoes as Pearce pulled up on the metal piece and the car unlocked. He moved to open the door.

"You won't get away with this." Joey spoke again, thinking of anything that would slow Pearce down. She decided to go after his ego. "Even if you take me again, my team will hunt you down. They'll find me like they found me last time. You'll always get caught."

But Pearce merely laughed. "Oh Agent Ryan," He reached out and stroked Joey's cheek. "I'm afraid no matter what, it's too late for you."

Joey pulled away from Pearce's touch. "What do you mean?"

Pearce gave a dramatic sigh and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You see, even if your team finds me, even if they come to the rescue again, I've already made arrangements for you." He smiled wickedly. "I've called your brother."

Joey felt her heart plummet to her stomach. "What?" She asked, barely more than a whisper.

"Yes." Pearce pulled the car door open, but waited to get in. "Your eldest brother, actually. He was very interested to know where you and your father were. Apparently he's been searching for you for years. I thought it was time for a little family reunion."

Joey was rooted to the asphalt beneath her. Panic coursed through her veins. "What have you done?" She breathed. Then she moved, not to run, but to advance on Pearce. Angrily, she started throwing punches, aiming to hit whatever part of Pearce she could. "Do you understand what he'll do? _Do you understand who he is?_ He won't stop. It won't just be me he'll go after. _What have you done?_ "

Pearce pushed one of Joey's punches away and reached back into his pocket, pulling out the long metal tool and hitting Joey around the ribs with it. Joey reeled back, wheezing through the pain that now seared across her stitched-up abdomen.

A deep voice suddenly rang out behind them. "Pearce!"

In one swift movement, Pearce used one hand to drop the metal tool and pull out his gun, and the other hand to grab Joey and pull her in front of him, using her as a shield.

Joey looked up, and for an instant was flooded with relief. She had never been happier to see her team leader in her life. Hotch had his gun raised, his face set, and was slowly advancing toward them between cars. JJ and Morgan were fanning out behind him. That relief, though, was short-lived as Joey felt the cool barrel of Pearce's gun press into the back of her neck.

"Let's just stay right there, agent." Pearce's smooth, nonchalant voice called out. Hotch, JJ, and Morgan all froze, but their guns remained raised. There was a beat before Pearce spoke again. "You found me." It was a statement more than a question.

"One of the nurses saw you leave on the elevator, but was suspicious when Dr. Reid wasn't with you. She went and found him in Agent Ryan's room, and called me." Hotch explained, his eyes never leaving Pearce's face.

"You got here awfully fast." Pearce remarked. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"We weren't sleeping." Hotch shot back. A surge of guilt rushed through Joey. Pearce was right. She was hardly out of the academy and now her team was losing sleep and risking their lives for her, all because she'd been stupid enough to say yes to Pearce.

"It's over, Pearce." JJ called out.

Pearce chuckled. "I don't think so. You see, Agent Hotchner, you're too sentimental." He tightened his grip on Joey and she gasped. "You don't want to see one of your team members here get hurt, so you're going to let me go, or you're going to have to go inside and ask for a body bag."

Morgan shifted his weight angrily, but held his position, casting a glance to Hotch for instructions.

"I can't let you go." Hotch said calmly, though his mouth had become a very thin line.

Suddenly, several things happened at once. Hotch moved to take a step forward. As he did, Pearce pressed the barrel of his gun farther into Joey's neck. The sun burst over the building across the street and Joey closed her eyes as the warmth spread across her face, prepared for Pearce to pull the trigger.

Then, a shot rang out. Joey jumped, and then felt herself being dragged down as Pearce's limp body hit the ground. Ears ringing, Joey scrambled away from Pearce's figure, which was slumped against the front tire of the car, a thin trail of blood leaking from the bullet hole in his forehead.

JJ lowered her smoking gun as Hotch and Morgan moved forward. Morgan kicked Pearce's gun away while Hotch checked for a pulse, a mandatory field procedure. Hotch slowly stood with a solemn look on his face. Exchanging a glance with Morgan before turning and nodding to JJ, who called for a medic on her comm line.

Hotch turned and bent down to help Joey up. As she stood, though, she pushed herself away from her team leader, taking in deep breaths.

"Ryan?" Morgan asked tentatively.

"Hotch, I…" Joey felt a sob rising in her chest, but she pushed it down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…for all of this. I just…Pearce was right. I'm just some expendable new agent out of the academy, and I'm not worth all this trouble that I've put you through. I mean I've probably wasted so much of the Bureau's money, and you guys are out here risking your lives, and you haven't slept in a while because of all this—."

"Hotch never sleeps." Morgan cut Joey off mid-rant.

"Ryan, that's not at all how we see it." Hotch said, ignoring Morgan. "You're not expendable to us. You're part of the team. And I assure you we've spent far more of the Bureau's money for far less. We don't blame you for what happened with Pearce. He's been using young agents for years, now. We're just glad we finally caught him, and that you're okay."

Joey met his eyes for a moment. They were kind and gentle, reassuring. She nodded once before dropping her gaze again. She heard JJ softly call Hotch's name, and she shifted her gaze to Pearce's lifeless from as Hotch excused himself to address the medics who had just arrived.

"Hotch," She called before he could get too far. The team leader turned back to her. Joey felt her hands begin to tremble. "Hotch, Pearce said he contacted my brother. He said he told him where my father and I were."

A looked of mixed concern and sympathy crossed Hotch's eyes. He nodded once. "I'll look into it." He cast a look to Morgan before turning away again.

Joey felt another sob rise up in her as she stared down at Pearce's blank eyes. Everything that he had done to her, everything he had made her do, all of it was over now. She expected to feel as if a weight had been lifted but instead she felt weary. Perhaps it was the medicine still wearing off, but every part of her felt heavy. Heavy with the weight of secret meetings and late night errands and the feeling of Pearce's hands on her skin.

As the adrenaline wore off, Joey swayed. Morgan moved toward her again. "Ryan." He grabbed her forearm hesitantly.

"Morgan, I…" Joey couldn't take her eyes off of Pearce's body. Suddenly, she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. All the emotions she had kept in check for the past several months crashed over her all at once. Morgan gently pulled her into a hug, being mindful of her shoulder and stomach. Sobs wracked Joey's shoulders as she leaned into Morgan's chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Morgan rested his chin on top of Joey's head and gently stroked her hair. "I know, baby." He said softly, pulling Joey in a bit tighter. "It's all over now. You don't have to worry about him anymore. It's all over."


	18. Epilogue

"All I'm saying is that in Modern Who, I think the transition from the 9th Doctor to the 10th Doctor was one of the hardest transitions because they're versions of the Doctor were so different." Garcia argued.

"But the transition from the 11th Doctor to the 12th Doctor meant going from the youngest actor who's ever played the Doctor to one of the oldest actors we've had in a while." Reid fired back. He had a small bandage on his right temple, but it was determined he didn't have a concussion, and he didn't need stitches.

Joey smiled as she sat back and watched her two friends argue over her bed. After Pearce's body had been taken from the parking lot, JJ had found a wheelchair, which Joey was thankful for because her body was wearing out fast. After the nurses had restitched her abdomen and had given her a once-over check up, Joey was able to sleep for a couple more hours. Her dreams were full with images of Pearce and the feeling of his hands grabbing Joey and pulling her in every direction, so once she woke, she was grateful for the presence of Garcia, who quickly beckoned Reid in.

"You're just saying that because you favor the young Doctor over the others." Garcia huffed. Reid grinned and playfully threw a Dalek figurine at her.

The three agents suddenly looked up as the door to Joey's room opened and Hotch entered. "Ryan," Hotch said softly, nodding in greeting. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Joey answered truthfully. "Not 100 percent, but better." She felt sore all over, and she would occasionally be overcome by great fits of coughing, but she was thinking more clearly and she could stay awake for longer.

Hotch approached, stopping at the end of her bed. "Your father arrived at the Bureau a few minutes ago. He'll be waiting for you when we transfer you to the Quantico hospital later tonight." They had agreed Joey needed at least one more night of observation before being released, but it would be easier for her, and the team, if she was taken back to Quantico. Afterwards, she would go through weeks of meetings with Anderson for a psychological evaluation followed by months of physical therapy before she would be ready for field work again.

"Thank you so much." Joey replied earnestly. Hotch put his hands in his pocket hesitantly, casting glances at Reid and Garcia. "It's okay." Joey said, reading Hotch's mind. "They can be here for whatever you tell me."

Hotch paused before nodding. "Prentiss recovered the…files you were worried about from Pearce's office. Both hard and digital copies." Joey nodded. Garcia and Reid exchanged perplexed looks, but had the grace not to say anything.

Hotch looked uncomfortable about the other news he came to deliver. "About your brother…" Joey felt her breath catch. "We reached out to the CIA, and Prentiss checked in with Interpol. Your eldest brother was killed two years ago in a raid in Pakistan. He was…a part of a team of suicide bombers that went after several universities in major cities. To be safe, we also checked in on your other brother. The CIA wasn't certain, but they believe he, too, is dead as his team was attacked by our men nine months ago in an extraction mission. They don't believe there were any Iraqi survivors." He paused, tentatively looking at Joey, who nodded once, her eyes distant. "I'm sorry." Just then, his phone rang and he quietly excused himself.

As the door shut behind their team leader, Garcia and Reid exchanged nervous looks before glancing at Joey.

"Joey?" Reid asked nervously. "Are you okay?"

Joey nodded slowly, still processing the news Hotch had delivered. "Yah," She answered truthfully. "Yah, I am."

"But your brothers," Garcia grabbed Joey's hand and gave it a squeeze. "They were still your family. You've lost so many loved ones."

"I know," Joey returned the squeeze to Garcia's manicured hand. "But it's okay." She glanced out the window of her room. JJ and Morgan were walking up the hall, coffee in hand. Morgan playfully punched JJ's shoulder, teasing her about something as JJ begrudgingly laughed. Prentiss was just outside the room, talking to Hotch. She threw her head back in laughter and Joey thought she saw a ghost of a smile pass Hotch's lips.

She turned back to her two companions on either side of her, reaching out for Reid's hand, who surprisingly grabbed it. Joey squeezed both their hands and smiled. "You're my family now. And if that's good with you, that's good enough for me." Garcia gave her a watery smile and wiped away a tear. Joey released them and grabbed the Dalek from Garcia's lap. "Now, as much as I hate to admit the boy genius is right, I think he has a point about the 11th and 12th Doctors."

Garcia's mouth dropped open in indignation as Reid roared with laughter. Joey smiled, the first genuine smile she'd had in a long time, and though she knew the months of recovery ahead of her, both mental and physical, would be long, she knew she would be okay. She had her family, and she knew they would be with her every step of the way. She was content at last.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it! Thank you so so much to everyone who has stuck with this story from beginning to end (and thank you to those who continue to read even though this is complete). Again, I apologize for the strange, long absence. I hope it didn't throw you from the story too much. Lovely readers, you have made this experience so enjoyable, and I hope you have enjoyed my very first CM Fic! Stay amazing, dear ones, and I hope to see you here again soon!**


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